The Vampire Hour
by MarilagML
Summary: After losing her best friend from a vampire attack, Bella had learned to fight them and dedicated her life on eradicating them. But what would happen if she falls in love with her sworn enemy? P.S. Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. This story belongs to me.
1. Chapter 1 Bella

A/N: In case you're following me at TWCS, I'll update when the site has completed its move. Until then, it's Fanfiction and FictionPad.

Vampires were everywhere. They were running all over the place, jumping as if they could fly. Their teeth were so sharp they could rip out my throat. They were so fast they could travel for miles and back in less than a second. They could literally smell you from a mile away.

I was swimming in the river. It was supposed to keep me safe from them. Forget about garlic. It had no effect on them. If they catch your scent, no matter where you are, you have only three seconds to do anything. In the blink of an eye, they would have ripped your throat out and drain your blood.

I wasn't supposed to be out right now. The government had issued a warning. It was Vampire Hour today. Because of the forced peaceful coexistence with them, anyone who's left roaming at the moment the siren rang, would be alone to fend for themselves until the siren sound that would end the Vampire Hour. This happens every two weeks. It kept the vampires satiated and there would be less dead humans than if the treaty hadn't existed.

However, my bestfriend Jessica's truck had broken down near the forest. We called the tow truck but they weren't responding. After two hours, the siren had rang. Jessica and I did our best to hide. Unfortunately, a vampire spotted us. Jessica and I ran but a vampire caught up with us.

The vampire, because of its sick and twisted nature, decided to play hide-and-seek with us. It gave us three minutes to escape it. Jessica and I ran. Unfortunately, she stumbled and tripped. She tried to stand up but she couldn't move her right leg. It was broken and she was under excruciating pain.

I wasn't about to let my best friend get slaughtered. I dragged her and headed toward the river. Then, I took a fallen log and made her hold on to it. My father, the chief-of-police of our hometown, had said that vampires often dump their carcasses in the river. There were enough dead bodies in the river that the vampire wouldn't notice our scent. It's like opening different bottles of perfume at the same time-the scent mingled together so much that one couldn't tell which scent was which. He said that if I were to ever find myself stuck, all I needed to do was to find a river and play dead. Still, he cautioned me that the dead didn't always stay dead. Sometimes, humans survived the attack and turn into vampires themselves.

Father said that when that happened, it would be better to kill the human. Vampires lose their humanity as they now view human beings as food. We become like animals to them and any attachment they had with other human beings become buried under the feelings of thirst. We were their food source after all.

That's what happened with Jessica. The vampire found us. While in the river, I played dead. Jessica on the other hand, had screamed from pain. The vampire found her first. It bit on her neck and drank as blood gushed from her wound. I did my best to be steady despite my sudden desire to vomit. I could smell blood. I could smell the mixture of salt and rust from where I was in the river. When the vampire was finished, she tossed her back in the river, probably hoping she would drown before leaving. I was so glad it didn't notice me.

When it left, Jessica let out an ear piercing scream.

"Bella, please make the pain go away!" she cried.

"I will." In that moment, I hugged her tightly and consoled her. Then, I placed my hands around her neck and broke it.

I was all alone in the middle of the forest. I looked at my Samsung Galaxy S7. Forty minutes had already passed. I have less than twenty minutes left before it would be safe for me to go back. Still, I wasn't taking my chances. I needed to get out of here.

Closing notes: Bella is capable of taking care of herself. She tried to save Jessica but unfortunately, Jessica tripped-not unusual if you're busy running so fast that you don't notice where you're going. What do you think about this harsher Bella?


	2. Chapter 2 Bella

A/N: Hi, everyone! How are you? Like I said, I'll be updating this fic and Facing the Past alternately. In other words, on the day I update this one, there wouldn't be an update for facing the past. On the other hand, if I'm updating The Vampire Hour, I wouldn't be updating Facing the Past.

Chapter 2: Bella

Two months have passed since that day. I still thought about Jessica frequently. She was my sister-we grew up together.

She and I had spent countless nights talking about Mike. Both of us have a crush on him. I gave up on him for her sake. Mike seems to like her too. She was supposed to have a date with him that Saturday-three days after the attack. I was helping her pick up some clothes. That was a distant memory.

Nowadays I'm busy training. Most of my time was spent sparring and working out. I'm with the wolves now. That's what the group of vigilante fighting vampires call themselves. More often than not, they were able to kill more than one when they were on a hunt. They did this using magical incantations to make vampires skins temporarily penetrable. Once these happens, we were able to tear them to pieces and burn them as quickly as possible.

Although I'm fairly new to this, I had made quite a number of kills. The first time I had killed a vampire, I didn't know if I was going to make it. I was fighting for my life. I was trying to break their skin with my stake but their flesh were like diamonds-the hardest substance on earth. However, the moment I said, "radiatio", the vampiric skin softens and I was able to break her into pieces and burn it. Now, it didn't matter anymore. I wanted to get rid of the vampires. There would be nobody else who would lose their best friends under my watch.

I was going on a hunt on my own. My friends tend to be fairly slow and they would just hinder me. I was on my way to Port Angeles when Jacob, my godfather's son, saw me. He was the leader in charge of the wolves.

"You're going again, Bella?" Jacob asked.

"What do you think?" I said to him in reply.

He caught up with me and walked right next to me. He smelled of lilacs and strawberries-the signature scent of a female vampire. He had just returned home from the hunt.

"Can I join you?" he asked.

I nodded. We took the bright red Chevy truck that my father had given me. It was fairly sturdy-something necessary to fend off hungry vampires.

"You do this every night. Don't you get any rest?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'll rest when I'm dead."

We knew when the vampires were often hiding. Most of them don't know how to blend in. They just go as far away from civilization as possible and then go to a more populous area during the Vampire Hour. It meant that they're often lurking in the forest or underground. We just found an underground burrow and decided to set up.

Jacob's preferred weapon was a spear. The sharp end of it was good enough to skewer a vampire but the other end was soft enough that he couldn't accidentally kill someone behind him.

Personally, I liked the dagger better. I could get up close and personal with them and stab them on the neck. Then, it would be easy to separate the rest of the body together.

Holding the flashlight, I went straight to the burrow. I saw not just one but two vampires draining their victims which I believed they caught during the last Vampire Hour. There were two. One was unharmed while the other they tried to drain. Then they saw us.

I didn't even have time to blink. They had us pinned down the wall. In that moment, I actually felt fear. Fear that I would die. Fear that I would become one of them.

The vampire in front of me was more handsome than the movie star. He was tall, with light brown hair and red eyes. He smelled musky. I resisted the urge to offer myself to him. These are the mark of him being a predator. Before the Vampire Hour, their good looks and their scent drew in their prey-us. Not that they needed it. Their speed and invincibility alone would've done it.

In that moment, all I could do was pray. Pray that at the very last minute I would be saved. In that moment, a loud sound came through the entrance. The commotion was loud enough that the vampire in front of me left me to search for the intruder.

Ending Notes: What do you think of my take of the wolves? This is an AU so I hope you don't mind the liberty I'm taking with these characters. Jacob was Bella's godbrother. The two had grown up together so they treat each other like siblings. I'm not sure if there would be a love triangle with Jacob, Bella, and Edward yet.


	3. Chapter 3 Bella

A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I last updated this story. It means that I won't be updating Facing the Past.

"I don't need your help," I protested. It wasn't that I didn't need their help. It's just that I would rather die than seek help from a vampire.

"Thank you," Jacob said.

The vampire in question came to free Jacob and I. Later on, I discovered that he wasn't working alone. He had a team with him. They belonged to the famous Cullen coven-the coven known to work on human rights. They were famous for distracting the vampires, talking to them and offering them the alternative instead. They were advocates of blood donations rather than draining the humans and killing them.

The Cullens were known to disturb other vampires and offering them the alternative instead-10 pints of donated blood. They work in a group. Usually, they talked to the vampires the benefit of not killing your food source-the difference between drinking cow's milk rather than eating the beef. Meanwhile, they free whoever the vampires had chosen to be their prey for the day by trading with the vampires in question-usually in the form of money. This would be easy for them to do. They had actual jobs that fit in the human world.

The Cullens were considered "omnivores"-they drink the blood donation and supplement their diets with killing off large preys like bears and actual wolves. From what they said, they pay humans generously for one pint of blood and would only take them every three months.

While they weren't killing any humans, I still don't approve of their methods. They were treating us humans like farm animals.

"How did you find us?" Jacob asked.

"We were tracking one of our donors when we caught your scent. I created a distraction and Carlisle traded you for some generous amounts of cash," the male vampire said.

Carlisle was the face of the Cullen coven. Everybody knew the blond vampire from interviews and television appearances.

"Your donors?" Jacob asked.

"Yes. Her name is Jessica Stanley," Edward answered.

In that moment, my eyes went dark. My fist balled up and hit toward Edward. I felt someone held me on my arms.

"Calm down, Tiger," Jacob said while he was holding me.

"It's okay. I'm not going to get hurt," Edward pointed out.

"I'm not worried about you. I'm worried that she'll break her arms. She's Jessica's best friend," Jacob replied.

Jacob tried to hold me while he told Edward what happened. It took me a few minutes to calm down. When I finally had gotten to my senses, everything finally made sense.

Jessica could buy the latest phone. Jessica treating me shopping. She even wanted to buy a car but I told her not to. She decided to put it on a time account instead. It never occurred to me to ask where she was getting her money. I thought she was selling drugs but didn't want to tell me. It didn't occur to me that she was donating blood to the Cullens.

"Jessica's dead. Vampires killed her during the Vampire Hour," I said.

Edward punched the wall and it felt like there was a huge earthquake. A huge part of the wall got destroyed.

"Let's get out of here before I do more damage," Edward said.

Edward was in front of me and Jacob was behind me as we left the burrow. Once we were out, Jacob and Edward shook hands. Carlisle was talking to another blonde vampire who took us.

Edward gave cash to the vampire. "This is for destroying your wall. I'm so sorry about it," he said.

The vampire shook his head. "It was nothing. You're fighting against your nature doing what you're doing. Thanks for the money. You can do business with me anytime but I won't change my ways," he said.

Edward, Carlisle, and two other vampires came with us. One was another blond while the other one was petite. He brought us to the midsized Volvo SUV.

"Would you like to ride?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes. Thank you," Jacob answered for us.

"Jacob, can we talk in private?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. He led us away from the vampires.

It didn't really matter since they could hear us. They had excellent hearing. However, I still wanted to feel normal and talking to my godbrother way from the predators count as such.

"Are you crazy? I'd rather not go with them," I told him.

"They saved us."

"We're vampire hunters," I pointed out.

"And we can take care of ourselves if they're ever out of line," he answered back.

He put his arms around me. "These vampires choose not to kill humans. How about we take their kindness for now and go back to the city? We can get back when you're calm and had gotten your rest."

Jacob led us back to the bloodsuckers.

Carlisle and Edward led us to their SUV. Carlisle was the driver and Edward called shotgun. Jacob and I sat in the middle row and the woman named Alice sat next to the man named Jasper at the back row. I hated being trapped in the middle surrounded by these leeches.

Each minute in the car felt like an hour. Eventually, we made it to our headquarters. Jacob exchanged information with Carlisle. It seemed that he had gained a new ally today. Meanwhile, I couldn't wrap my mind about my situation. Vampires saved my life even though I was trying to hunt their kind.

Closing notes: What do you think about my take on the Cullen coven? Stephenie Meyer made them "vegetarian" vampires. However, we should consider that they didn't know that vampires exist in that world. In my AU version, they know that vampires exist, hence the blood donation thing.

In addition, Stephenie Meyer created vampires that fought against their nature. My vampires do fight against killing humans but they don't deny that they were designed to drink human blood. That being said, they needed a way to drink human life in a way that allow them to drink human blood without killing them. Human blood is good for them. However, they shouldn't kill human beings doing that.

In terms of alcohol analogy, Stephenie Meyer's vampires couldn't get one drop of alcohol at all. On the other hand, my vampires could and drink alcohol as long as they don't get drunk.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late update. I've been busy with the tax season and Holy Week on its climax. In addition, I started my Scentsy business. Anyway, if I haven't said this, I alternate between The Vampire Hour and Facing the Past. If I update one, I don't update the other. I've neglected this story for too long. Anyway, I'm halfway done with that story so I'll be able to update more often as soon as that one ends.

-FTP-

Jacob said that the Cullens had done their best to help. They had not killed anyone yet it was in their nature to hunt and kill human beings. I think it was baloney. They were still using humans as their food source albeit not killing them. Humans were still being used. The only difference was that our kind was getting paid for it.

Jacob said it was no different than harvesting one's eggs and getting compensated for it. It was something I disliked even though it was completely legal. Some called it a good way to make money. I called it using your body to earn a living. They were in the same level as prostitutes. They were using their body in order to entice people to give them money.

That morning, I went to class. Vampire hunting had finally taken a toll on me, hence I tried going to college to distract myself from vampire hunting. It was like Bruce Wayne having a playboy billionaire persona during the day and being Batman by night.

I was surprised to find Rosalie teaching. Her beauty distracted the entire male population while creating envy among us women despite her trying to put on glasses and wear dated clothing. Having her around caused me to fear. She could drink blood from among the students and people would wholeheartedly agree. Such was the draw of the vampire.

I made sure to study Rosalie. She wasn't trying doing anything out of the ordinary. She was just teaching us how to do Calculus problems. Most of us were mesmerized with the way she talked. She reminded me of a lure-someone who was drawing people to her so that she and the other vampires could feed on them.

I knew for a fact that Rosalie had not killed anyone. Among all of the vampires, it was her that I could relate to the most. She had not have a drop of human blood in her. She was a strict animal blood drinker giving her the amber eyes.

"That's all for the day. Class dismissed," she said after making sure that we knew about our homework.

Everybody tried to hurry up. On the other hand, I took my time, wondering how many ways I could incapacitate her if the situations account for it. By no means was she an easy target. No vampire are.

"Bella, can you hold on for a second?" Rosalie asked.

I walked up to Rosalie.

"I don't like you, you don't like me. Don't you agree?" she asked.

I nodded. Frankly, I was biased. How a vampire could teach in school is beyond me. That was like being alcoholic working at a wine shop.

"That might've crossed my mind. I really hate vampires," I said.

"However, our own personal issues shouldn't affect us academically. What you do in the classroom would be based solely on your effort with regards to my class. Is that fair?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That's all. You can go," Rosalie said.

With my belongings, I went to my next class.

Things went uneventful that day. I've heard something about giving blood to the Cullens and earning quite a bit of money from it. If I had no qualms selling my body parts for money, I would do it. They certainly pay a lot. Enough to pay a month's rent with plenty of leftovers. If anyone was short on cash because they lost their jobs, it would be something people could use.

That weekend, Jacob and I went on a hunt together. Sam wanted to come too but Jacob told him that we could handle it. I was glad. I wasn't really fond of Sam. He's too controlling over his girlfriend Leah who happens to be another best friend of mine. I wished that she would dump him.

Jacob and I were trying to find a vampire lair. It was impossible as most of them hid themselves from the people when it wasn't the Vampire Hour. They were usually in the caves. We heard one in the tunnel somewhere near the national park but when we got there, we didn't find any. It seemed that the vampires have left.

That was when we heard a loud roar.

"Get out of the way!" someone shouted.

Before I could react, I was caught off guard as the bear headed toward my direction. I couldn't move as I was frozen in fear. Then, I felt a boulder came at me. I braced for the impact as I readied myself to hit the ground but that didn't happen. Instead, I found myself being carried by strong arms.

It took me a few seconds to react. Emmett now had the bear on his grip. Meanwhile, I looked to see my copper head of a savior. I was staring at his black eyes, full of wrath.

"Are you always trying to get yourself killed?" my savior asked.

"As a matter of fact, no!" It seems like I always get myself into trouble everytime you're around.

"On the contrary, if we weren't there on those occasions, you would've found yourself in a coffin. Emmett just found the bear when it moved toward your direction. Are you really that stupid?" Edward asked.

"Quite the contrary. I was valedictorian in high school," I said.

"Thank you again for saving us. Forgive my godsister for being an ingrate," Jacob said to step in.

"You're welcome. Don't ever look for trouble or we might not be around to save you next time," Edward said.

When they turned around and left, I gave them a middle finger salute.

"Bella!" Jacob chastised.

"What?"

"This is the second time they saved us already. And you're going to do that?" Jacob told me. My godbrother was always grateful whenever people tried to do kind things for him. As for me, as long as he's not a vampire, I'd be willing to accept gratitude.

I hoped to never see the Cullens again. Especially Edward. There was something infuriating with that man. It was too bad as well. All vampires were good-looking but he was ethereal.

-FTP-

End Notes: So, how do you feel about Bella and Jacob finding themselves in the middle of the Cullen hunt? I think it's dangerous for both of them. It's a good thing the Cullens had more control than usual as they're also considered food source.


	5. Chapter 5 The Bounty on Her Head

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry I've neglected this story for so long. I took 2 weeks off after I've finished Facing the Past because I needed to figure out where I should take this story. The good news is, this is the story I will focus on. That being said, I might come up with new stories but this would be the story I'm focusing on.

Right now, I'm trying to get my bearings back. Finishing Facing the Past is like letting go of my baby as I've seen it grow up.

Chapter 5: The Bounty on Her Head

After these past few incidences, I realized that I needed to regroup and rethink about everything. If it weren't for Jacob and the Cullens (if I were being honest with myself), I would be dead by now. I needed to calm down with dealing with the vampires. Otherwise, it would get me killed.

Today, I was training with Sam. He had been doing this a lot longer than Jacob but Jacob was a lot better hunting than him. Not that he wasn't good-he just doesn't actively seek vampires like we do. I had long bested Sam of his fighting techniques. I was the best fighter among all of them. However, Sam might be the slowest but he was the most effective fighter among all of us. He knew how to get his target without working too hard.

That being said, I had thrown a lot of punches toward Sam. He managed to avoid all of them. While I was too busy attacking him, he had swept me off my feet. I had fallen to the ground hard.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Sam asked. He held up his hand to help me get up.

"Yes," I said.

"Why don't we take a break and regroup? You need rest more than the rest of us," he said.

Emily, Sam's wife, was there. She already had some snacks ready for us. There was a huge gash on the face of Sam's wife. Everyone knew it was because of a vampire attack. Sam also lost his first wife, Leah because of that attack-Emily and Leah were cousins and were the best of friends.

"So, Emily, how's everything?" I asked.

"Everything's okay. Seth was in fourth grade now. He's actually at the top of his class. His mom would be so proud," Emily said.

"Leah's all about making sure that Seth goes to school," I joked. Leah, Emily and I had grown up together. Our families were friends.

"Yes. Anyway, I can see that Sam's giving you a workout," she said.

"Him? Not exactly. Sam would be like Mr. Miyagi-wax on, wax off," I joked.

Emily laughed. "He does give that impression," she said.

I decided to take the time off hunting vampires for a week. I had been doing it nonstop for several months. Maybe that's what's affecting my results.

Anyway, I decided to watch the movies. It had been so long since I've seen any. I used to watch movies with Jessica all the time. But since she wasn't here anymore, I don't see the point.

That was when I saw a couple of vampires that saved us one time. She was tiny like a sprite. I couldn't remember her name.

"Bella!" she shouted. It was as if she had known me for a very long time.

I looked at her and smiled. I didn't remember her name at all.

"It's Alice and he's Jasper," she said, pointing to the man right next to her. I nodded at her as she kept on talking. "Would you join us?"

I nodded as my heart hammered like thunder in my chest. However, in three short seconds, I felt calm, safe, and secure.

Alice led us to three empty seats. It was a good superhero movie. It was about a man named Steve. When it was over, Alice and Jasper brought me to my car.

I drove home that night, feeling as if someone was watching me. Yet, when I looked out the window, there was no one. This went on for days.

One day, that time came again. Sirens rang and I was safely inside the tunnel underneath my house. It was splattered with bleach so it should mask my scent. However, I heard some commotion upstairs. It was probably the vampires fighting and looking for my scent. I got my stake at the ready. I would not go down without a fight.

Then it happened. They opened the door and five vampires descended and headed straight to my direction.

I readied my hand and began reciting my incantations. That's when they came. The Cullens.

Alice was there first. Then it was Jasper. Finally, Edward's gigantic brother and the blond bombshell whose name I forgot. Edward was there too. They were all wearing some face masks.

Finally, Alice spun around and threw some mustard gas. At around the same moment, I felt someone held me on my waist and put a face mask around me.

The vampires gagged like they smelled something stinky. I had trouble breathing. Suddenly, I found myself being whisked upstairs.

"You're not safe here anymore," Alice said.

The gall of this woman. "Why would that be?" I asked. Maybe it had something to do with them.

"There's a bounty on your head. Anyone who captures you would receive a large sum of money from the Volturi dead or alive. We've been watching you for days to make sure you're safe," Edward explained.

The Volturi was like the monarchs in Britain. They were the head of the vampire government.

"Why would the Volturi want me?" I asked.

"You've killed a lot of vampires. Enough that it had gotten Volturi's attention," he said.

Darn! I only killed one hundred seventy-five vampires.

End Notes:

So, what do you think of Bella being on the run from the Volturi? The Cullens are obviously trying to take the middle ground. The Cullens figured that there should be a solution to all of this without getting anybody killed.


	6. Chapter 6 Hiding

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! Happy Memorial Day. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful day. We are the land of the free because of the people that had given their blood for our freedom. If you know a serviceman, be sure to thank them for their sacrifice. I thanked my man who's serving overseas.

How are you? Family was over here this weekend to celebrate my grandma's birthday one week later. I've also made it to the top 10 of my sales group. I'm thankful because I did it with the help of my family and friends. :-)

-TVM-

Chapter 6 Hiding

Alice and Jasper had managed to bring me to the Cullen lair. Unlike Dracula's castle, the Cullen's mansion was bright and shiny. The crocheted curtains allowed sun to filter through creating beautiful patterns on the white walls.

The lair gave the impression of calm. A very obvious way of masking its dangerous residents. I also noticed something distinct. The sun reflected on the vampire skin like they were thousands of shards of broken glass. I was so fascinated by it that I didn't realize that they were talking to me.

"How are you holding up, Bella?" Esme, Carlisle's quite famous wife, asked me. She was a known philanthropist in our town.

"I'm doing well, thank you," I said. It didn't seem right to be rude to someone who was known to be a nurturing mother.

"I still don't get why you brought her here," Edward said to Alice. I noticed that he winced after a few seconds. Then, he and Alice had their staring contest. Nobody said a word.

"Forgive my children, Bella. They seemed to have forgotten their manners," Esme looked at Edward. He seemed to have backed down and stared at me.

"Very well, but I want nothing to do with this. The last thing I want is to save a famous vampire hunter," Edward sneered.

"I told you. Bella would be a valuable member to all of us. She would complete our family," Alice said.

Wait! What is she saying? "I want nothing to do with this," I said.

"Don't worry. You will," she said. She paused for a little bit. "Yes, you will."

Edward glared at her as if he wanted to chop her head.

"Forgive my children, Bella. They do have a language of their own," Esme said before glaring at Edward. He then backed down.

"Would you like some food, Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Let's bring you to the kitchen," Esme said.

She and Rosalie brought me to the kitchen. I was surprised to find that they had fully stocked refrigerator. Everyone knew that the vampire's main diet consists of type O+.

Surprise must be written all over my face as Esme began telling me the fact that a human lives here. His name is Ben.

"We do have human visitors on a regular occasion. That's why we keep things stocked up. Plus, some of our homeless donors choose to live here. We help them get back on their feet," Rosalie explained.

I nodded. Surprised that they chose to turn their house into a group home for the people that gave them their blood.

"How many humans live here?" I asked.

"On a regular basis? Twenty. Most of our blood donors chose to live here even though we provide them with enough money to live on their own," she explained.

"Twenty?" I was surprised. There were more than one?

"We rotate so that they only have to donate one pint of blood every couple of months. When they're here they can eat whatever they want to eat," she said.

"Where do you get all your money?" I asked.

"Stocks and bonds. Also, we hold on to our items for a very long time and then we sell them as antiques. It's a good way to get rid of old furniture and a good way to make money," she explained.

That was when I heard the shouting.

"Excuse me," Rosalie said.

I listened to Edward and Alice arguing. So far, Alice was for me being saved. Edward wanted nothing to do with my safety. He was saying something about not being able to get a read from me. That's why he didn't trust me. I was surprised. I wasn't known for my poker face. Meanwhile, Alice was saying that I would make an important member of this family. Edward walked out and left.

Meanwhile, Carlisle came in. He had this concerned look on his face. However, he tried to compose his face and smiled at me.

"Have you eaten anything?" He asked.

I nodded. Rosalie and Esme had made sure I was thoroughly fed. Then, they let me rest in one of the rooms upstairs. I found myself sleeping which was surprising considering that I was in the house full of vampires. It was Alice that woke me up.

"We need to leave now," Alice said. "Rosalie had some clothes packed for us. She was a lot bigger than you but her clothes would fit you better."

When I came downstairs, Esme had some extra food. She gave them to Alice who then led us out to the garage.

When we were there, Rosalie had already put the luggage at the back of the yellow Porsche. She then hugged Alice while whispering something to the latter's ear. Alice then nodded and guided me to the back of the car. Alice rode shotgun as Jasper was the one driving.

"I'm sorry if I caused you to fight with Edward," I told Alice.

Jasper chuckled. "Don't worry. The two of them might be arguing like there's no tomorrow but I don't know anyone closer to Edward than Alice. They're like siblings. However, we do need to leave as we're foreseeing trouble ahead," Jasper explained. There was a chuckle there that made me think that there's an inside joke that I wasn't getting.

I might not know him well but I respect Jasper. Like Rosalie, they're honest about themselves around me. Alice, I found her annoying at times but I had a feeling that she and I would be good friends which was unusual. I had dedicated my life eradicating beings like them.

Three hours after driving we arrived at a house. I was glad to have gotten off the car. Jasper drove one hundred forty miles per hour. It was a good thing there wasn't a cop on the road. I was surprised that Jasper had a key.

"We'll stay here for the next. This is one of Edward's house. We'll be staying here for the next few days," Alice explained.

"I was surprised that he agreed to let us stay here," I told Alice.

"Of course he will. We bought this house together-we're partners in real estate. It's just under his name," Jasper said.

Over the next few days, I've seen Alice argue with Edward over the phone. Apparently, Edward still thinks it's dangerous to keep me. Alice would have none of that.

Alice often left me in the house. I found myself bored-as if I was in house arrest for a crime I didn't commit. She made sure to ply me with food, books, and some weapons too. Of course, me being me, I read the books only for an hour. Most of the time I spent practicing my moves. I found it ironic that Alice would let me have weapons. It's no secret that I abhor vampires. I would've killed her too, if it weren't for the fact that I owe her my life. I knew how to be grateful when the situation calls for it.

Around dusk, someone was entering the house that was neither Alice nor Jasper. I reached for the nearest wood I could get and found myself a wooden spoon. Not my weapon of choice but this would do well as a makeshift stake. I hid myself in the corner and got ready to attack.

I chanted my chant and got ready. The moment the door opened, I had finished my chant. The vampire on the other end had their skin soft enough that weapons would penetrate them. I choked the vampire in front of me.

"What the hell, Bella!"

It was Edward, who for a minute, looked very human. I didn't even realized that his eyes were green when he was still liked me. Surprisingly, he looked handsome.

"Sorry," I said as I let him go.

In that minute, I looked at him and his skin hardened like granite again as his emerald green eyes turned to orange.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Alice insisted that I watched you while they buy food. She didn't want to leave you on your own," Edward said.

"I can take care of myself," I insisted.

"Once you realize the force that is my sister, you'll understand that there are times when it's better to just go along with it when she's very determined at something. She wants to keep you alive at all cost," Edward said.

I was surprised that Alice cared about me so much that she would send a brother who clearly dislikes me to make sure I'm okay.

It only took Edward one minute to set things up to the way they were. He grabbed the remote and turned on Netflix.

"What movies do you want to watch?" he asked.

"Comedy of course," I said.

We settled in with "Kate & Leopold". It was about a man from the past who managed to find himself in the future. Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying watching the movie. Edward seemed to like it too.

Two hours later, Jasper and Alice arrived. They bought dumplings for me and type AB for Jasper, type O for Alice, and type A for Edward.

-TVM-

End Notes: So, Bella in hiding. Did you notice that Alice and Edward seems to be having a language of their own? It's because of their superpowers. Bella knew nothing about their superpowers. Edward couldn't read Bella's mind. Alice could see her future. Of course, it's part of the canon so you already knew that. ;-)


	7. Chapter 7 In Search of the Wolves

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! How are you? I'm doing well. So far, this is the third week of me posting regular updates with this story. My intention is to have regular updates for this story. My plan is to have this solely on Bella's point of view so that should avoid confusion like Facing the Past.

I'm doing well on my Scentsy business too. I'm getting good at it so I'm excited on what the future would bring to my new business too. So far, I've been part of the top 10 in sales for the past couple of months. Let's see if I'll make it to the third month in a row. Wish me luck!

Chapter 7: In Search of the Wolves

Alice, Edward, Jasper, and I spent 3 more days in their house. They took turns going out for food. One day, Edward and Jasper were gone. Alice was the only one with me. I was teaching her some moves. Then, she froze.

Something changed in her, she was in a panic. She was crying. I called Jasper and Edward as I was starting to get worried.

It took Jasper fifteen minutes to get to where we were.

"Where's Edward?" I asked him.

"He's driving the Porsche. We were one hour away by driving when you called," Jasper explained. He then looked at his wife. "What did you see?"

"The Volturi. They're going to take me and Jasper away. They want us as part of their collection. If we didn't join them, they'll kill Carlisle and Esme. We need to protect Edward. They want him too," Alice explained.

Jasper held his wife. It took her a minute but she calmed down instantly.

"Are you okay now?" Jasper asked.

"I am. Thank you, Jasper," she said.

"How long will it take them to get here?" Jasper asked.

"Two days at most," Alice said.

"We need to come up with a plan. However, we can't have Bella with us," Jasper said.

Alice nodded. "Bella, think about coming with us," Alice said.

I did. In that instant, I saw the pain on her face. Edward winced as if he's experiencing the same pain.

"You understand that she can't come with us," Alice said. "You have to promise me that you'll protect her. She'll be one of us. She is your mate. You need to protect her."

I shook my head. Edward isn't my mate. He's someone I'd rather kill if I wasn't indebted to him already. Having him as my mate is pushing it.

Edward shook his head. "I'll protect your pet for you. However, saying she's my mate is too much."

Alice looked at Edward and his face softened. "You see what's in my vision. She will be your mate but only if you protect her."

Edward shook his head. "I'll take care of your pet. Now, go!"

A blur moved around the house. Then, they paused to say goodbye for a moment and then they were gone.

"Where are Alice and Jasper going?" I asked.

"I don't know. They haven't decided yet," he said.

It finally hit me. "So, Alice can see the future. And you can read minds?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered. "We need to leave too."

"Where are we going?" I asked. I was thinking the wolves.

"I don't know yet but we can't stay here," Edward said.

"The wolves. I need to tell them," I told Edward.

"Call them," Edward said.

I reached for the phone. I dialed Jacob's phone number-he's family. Jacob answered on the first ring.

"Hello!"

"Jacob?"

"There's no Jacob here. You dialed the wrong number." Jacob hanged up.

There were so many things he said in that one sentence. It made me cry.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward asked.

I shook my head. "No. That's Jacob and he just told me it's not safe there. What he said was our help code. I need to gather the other wolves. They can help us," I said.

Edward shook his head. "Alice, what have you done?"

I knew where we needed to go. Jacob and the other wolves were in trouble. I needed to get help from the other wolves.

"We need to go find the other wolves. That's the only way to protect the Cullen coven and me," I said.

I prayed to God to take care of the situation. I might not have given God much thought before, but if He really does exists, now was the time for Him to show His hands.

End Notes: So, what do you think about Alice and Jasper needing to leave Bella to Edward's care? Edward loves Alice like a sister and thinks that Bella is Alice's pet. In a way, Bella is like a pet cow or a pet pig-she's actually a vampire food source. Bella and Edward will try to find other wolves in order to help Bella's family. In turn, it should help the Cullens with their problem about harboring Bella-they're going to need some help.


	8. Chapter 8 Hawaii

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late update. I had to rewrite the chapter. I was having a writer's block last week so I had to rework the chapter in order to fit the story better.

Things had been hard for me this week. That being said, I'm trying to white knuckle things out. Anyway, that's life. When it rains it pours.

Chapter 8 Hawaii

The moment Alice and Jasper were far away that they couldn't come back, something shifted in Edward.

"It's your fault that Alice and Jasper were on the run," he said. He grabbed me by the hand and before I knew it, we were on our way.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the Volturi! This should solve Alice's problem once and for all," he said.

I shook my head. I should've known. I had no sympathy from Edward. Immediately, I chanted. His skin had softened and I punched him before getting away from him. I stabbed him in the chest but not enough to penetrate his heart. I would've killed him but I still owe him several lives. However, it was enough to slow him down when his skin hardens back again.

I grabbed the backpack I hid on the coat room for my personal belongings. It had enough provisions and cash to last me for a month. I managed to have built it when Alice and Jasper weren't at home. She had enough foresight to give me some money and extra clothes. I guessed that she had foreseen that this would happen.

Meanwhile, I needed help. I couldn't go back to my father-he'd be in danger and had no match for the vampires. I could go ask help from Jacob's sisters. They were as much of a sibling to me as Jacob. They had married men who were taught the ways of the Quileute. I could start there.

I was surprised to find a car key in my bag. When I got there, I clicked on unlock and found that it's the key for Alice's yellow Porsche. I guessed that they just ran without taking a vehicle. Thank you, Alice. I drove to the direction of the airport as I had to go to Hawaii where Rebecca lived. Rebecca didn't really care about the way of the Quileute. However, she was my best chance for help as the rest of the tribe went in hiding.

With Alice's money, I purchased some tickets. I used some fake identity that Alice had gotten for me to avoid vampires detecting me. Alice literally had the sense of foresight. It took me the better part of the day but I made it to Hawaii. I grabbed my bag, left the airplane and went to the exit where Rebecca was waiting for me.

Rebecca hugged me. "It's been a while, my sister," she said. I had always treated her like my sister and the reverse is also true.

"I wish we could've met at a better circumstance," I told her.

"I know. Come," she said.

She led me to her car and we drove to her house. When I got there, I was surprised to find Jacob.

"Jacob!" I shouted. I proceeded to hug him. Jacob and I were closer than his other two sisters. I was closer to his age than his other two sisters. Plus, I prefer playing guns than dolls.

"Where's Billy?" I asked.

"My dad didn't make it. He sacrificed himself to save us," Jacob said. There were sadness in his voice.

Tears were flowing from Rebecca's eyes. "If I only knew, I would've gone home more," she said.

Jacob shook his head. "It's better this way. You're safe."

"So, we need to borrow your husband," Jacob said.

Rebecca shook her head. "No! Not this time. He doesn't believe in the way of the Quileutes," she said.

"And yet he knows it. We're looking for people that would fight against the vampires. They're slaughtering everyone. You might be safe in Hawaii but you're not going to be safe for long," Jacob said.

Hawaii was the only state in the United States where there was no vampire hour. Rather, they applied the principles of Carlisle Cullen. As a result, any vampire who lived in Hawaii were given ankle bracelets to keep track of where they are. Every two weeks, they were rationed with 10 pints of human blood. If they wanted more, they were allowed to hunt animals that were in large supply. If a drop of human blood dropped to the ground, they were given electric shock. The electric shock didn't hurt them. However, it was enough to distract them before they could do anything dangerous. Vampire hunters weren't allowed to hunt vampires in the area.

Somehow, it was more peaceful to live in Hawaii. There's less crime because of vampire attacks. That being said, my expertise were needed elsewhere.

"I know you want to live here where you're safe but the rest of the world don't work like that," Jacob said. "Go ahead. Close your eyes to what's going on around you. You're here in Hawaii where you're safe. But the world doesn't work like that. Besides, this isn't just your decision to make. It's also your husband's."

I nodded and agreed with Jacob. Rebecca might want to avoid trouble but Solomon certainly isn't the one to run from danger. I took a nap on the couch. Rebeca's house was small-it only had a couple of bedrooms and since Jacob got here first, he certainly had dibs on it. The event of the past couple of days had drained me. I wondered if Alice was alright. She was distraught when she and Jasper left.

When Solomon got home, Jacob told him what happened.

"You're welcome to stay here. It's safe here," Solomon said.

Jacob shook his head. "I was hoping you'll help us," Jacob replied.

Solomon sighed. "I can't. I need to be here. Rebecca's pregnant and I don't want to put a strain in her," Solomon told us.

"What?!" I shrieked.

"You haven't told them, Rebecca?" Solomon asked.

Rebecca shook her head. "It slipped my mind when Jacob kept saying that we need to go back to La Push and help them rebuild."

"You see our situation right now? I can't bring my wife and my growing baby back to La Push until it's safe. However, you're welcome to use all of our resources to help you and the wolves," Solomon pointed out.

Jacob was about to say something when I stopped him.

"Thank you, Solomon," I said.

I was not going to bite his gift in the mouth. Money was just as important as manpower at this point. Meanwhile, we needed to find more wolves that would fight for us when the time was right.

That afternoon, Jacob and I went to the beach. He went surfing while I stayed at the shore. I was not into extreme water sports-I'd rather wade in the water than to swim. That was when I saw him. Standing like a marble statue, with a monitor bracelet on his ankle, was none other than my attacker/lifesaver.

"Edward!" I shrieked.

End Notes: So, what do you think of my reinterpretation of Hawaii? Of course, Hawaii is part of the United States but it's so far removed that there are things that apply to the rest of the continental United States that isn't necessarily applicable to Hawaii and to Alaska. Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific so they should do things a little bit differently than the rest of the continental United States.


	9. Chapter 9 The Deception

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! How are you? So, this is the new chapter. I have a confession to make. I've had this chapter for the past few days but haven't gotten into uploading it. I hope you like it.

Chapter 9 The Deception

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Trying to find you," Edward replied.

"You can't be here," I said.

"On the contrary, I have to be," he said.

"You can't hurt me. You have a bracelet in your ankle that prevents you from doing that," I told him.

Edward laughed. "Do you really think that it's going to stop me? I invented this thing. I can deactivate it and no one would even know," he said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Simple. I'm trying to find you. My sister is trying to save you and if I just give you to the Volturi, my sister would be saved," Edward said.

"Where's Alice?" I asked.

"The Volturi has her. I just needed to do a little exchange and then they would free her. Your life for hers and Jasper's," he said.

"I thought they got away," I said.

"The Volturi found them. She was being tried with aiding and abetting a fugitive. Help me or not, I will get her out of prison," Edward said.

Edward grabbed me by the hand.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To Italy. That's where Alice is," he said.

"I'm not going to go there," I told him.

"If it weren't for you, Alice wouldn't have gotten trapped. You owe it to her to turn yourself in. Besides, there are plenty of vampires to kill in Italy," he said.

That made my ears perked up. Vampire headquarters. However, there was only one small issue with his plan.

"I need backup," I said.

"The audacity! I don't know what Alice had seen in you," Edward said.

"I don't want to come with you. You want to kill me," I said.

"No! The order is to bring you alive. The Volturi had some plans for you. Likely it involves torture," Edward said.

"Bella, is there a problem?" Jacob asked. I didn't even know that he's back.

"Oh, nothing. My girlfriend and I just had a spat," Edward said.

I just looked at him. Girlfriend? Two can play with that game. "Yeah. What he said," I told him.

Jacob didn't seem convinced. Good. Jacob knew me very well.

We welcomed Edward into Rebecca's home. He seemed to behave really well. Meanwhile, I kept a stake strapped on my leg hidden underneath my pants. If Edward got out of line, I'd be the first one to stake him.

"Well, Bella and I had to go to Europe. My sister is waiting there for us," Edward said. He wasn't exactly lying.

"Maybe I should go there with you guys," Jacob said.

"No need, Jacob. It'll be a quick trip," I said. I hoped that Jacob understood what I wasn't saying.

"Very well then," Jacob said. He handed me a small box. When I opened it, I realized that it was an invisible net meant to trap vampires. Once I activated the net, vampires can't move unless I drag them out of it. Only a Quileute leader were capable of creating the trap. It was because they received special powers to lead the Quileutes. That meant that only chiefs like Jacob would be capable of producing it.

"Thank you, Jacob," I said. I put the box on my pocket, ready to activate it at a moment's notice.

Edward and I spent the night at Rebecca's house. I wanted to be as far away from him as possible but to be able to keep up with the ruse that we were together, we shared a room. I slept comfortably where I was. If Edward was to try anything, I would be ready to stab him with the stake I hid on both of my sides.

After a couple of days, we went back to the airport. We showed them our ID's, the security agents removed his ankle bracelet, we sat on the plane, and we were on our way to Italy. All of my weapons were checked in. I just had the trap that Jacob gave me. The rest I could improvise.

When we landed, I picked up my bags. Edward did his best to act like my boyfriend and carried my stuff. I was itching to change and to strap my weapons with me so I told him I needed to change. He agreed. I took my things and changed my clothing. Along the way, I made sure that all my weapons were with me. I didn't want to go anywhere unprepared.

Edward led me out of the airport. When we got there, fifteen vampires were there, greeting us. Among them was a small girl who walked toward us. She seemed to radiate authority as everyone around her trembled in fear.

"Hello, Edward!" the small girl said. She was small but she seemed powerful enough that people were afraid of her. She didn't scare me. "I'll take her," she said, pointing at me.

"Where's Alice?" Edward asked.

"The girl, please?" the small girl said.

"Jane, where's Alice?" he asked.

Jane wouldn't answer.

"Bella, it's a trap!" Edward shouted.

Every single one of those vampires surrounded us. Edward put himself in front of me, as if he would be able to fight fifteen vampires on his own.

Everyone moved toward our direction, as if we were roasted pigs.

End Notes: So, what do you think? Edward had been double crossed by Volturi. He thought that if he handed Bella over that they would return Alice. We all know what the Volturi really wants don't we, based on Breaking Dawn. They want to collect powerful vampires.


	10. Chapter 10 The Cover Story

A/N: Hello, everyone! Happy 4th of July. Here's a new chapter. I hope you like it.

Chapter 10 The Cover Story

There were hundreds of vampires going in our direction. Edward moved toward my back and pressed his back on mine. The moment we had contact, I felt as if I was on ice. As I was doing this, I readied the vampiric trap that Jacob had given me. Then, I said the words to turn it on.

In that moment, the vampires including Edward froze. I was about to leave when I remembered Edward. I felt guilty about leaving him there. He might want to kill me at this moment but it would be useful to have a vampire by my side who could navigate Volterra. Of course, I had to keep him under my control.

I decided to touch him and say the words that freed him. He was so angry, I was beginning to regret freeing him.

"I can still freeze you like the rest of the vampires. The only reason I freed you is because you're Alice's brother. The only reason why I'm with you is because I let you take me. We'll free Alice my way," I said. The truth was, short of reactivating the trap, I didn't really have the energy to do it again. Turning on the vampire trap did take some of my energy. I needed a good night's rest and good food to recharge. I also needed to remember that the Volturi promised Alice's freedom if Edward delivered me to the Volturi.

"Well, then, let's hurry. Volterra is like the Washington, DC for vampires," he said.

Edward and I rented a vehicle and drove to Rome. It only took us 2 hours to get to what would normally take us four hours because of his speed. When we get there, we had seen a lot of people, vampires and humans alike, giving us the eyebrow.

I decided to change my look. People knew Bella as a brunette. However, I was a natural red head. I started dyeing my hair when I was 11. People didn't even remember that I was a red head. I asked Edward to buy me some wig—red hair to match the one I was born with. Then, I shaved my head. It would grow back to my original red hair.

Edward bought a lot of food which was good. He had some apples and pizza—the good kind. I slept well that night as Edward watched. Vampires didn't sleep. I wasn't worried about him at all. In a moment's notice, I would be awake and ready to stab him. Vampire hunting training would turn you into a warrior.

I was a lot calmer in the morning now that I had gotten a good night's sleep. It seemed that Edward needed the silence too. I was getting worried about him. His eyes were getting black.

I ate some of the leftovers that night. As a courtesy, I tried to offer some to Edward but he shook his head vehemently against it.

"What does food taste like to you?" I asked him out of curiosity.

"Dirt. I used to have food before vampires reveal themselves in order to blend in with humans," he said.

"Oh, okay. Have you had blood for the last two weeks?" I asked.

Edward shook his head. "I'm going to need to hunt soon," he said.

"I had a better idea," I said. I found a knife and slit my wrist. "Drink," I told him.

Edward obeyed and I let my blood fall to his mouth. I was being kind. And since I was getting my food, he needs to get some food too. They said that giving a pint of blood burned six hundred calories. Hopefully, this should be enough to help him. I could only do this every sixty days.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for trying to hand you over earlier," he said.

After ten minutes, I decided to stop feeding him. At blood banks, it takes an average of 10 minutes to get one pint of blood. I put some bandages on my wound. After that, I ate more food and drink more water. I needed to eat more food for two days until my body replenishes the blood.

Edward left that afternoon and said that he needed to hunt. He wasn't gone long. He was only gone for half a day before he came back, his eyes orange, both from my blood and the animal blood.

"How are you?" Edward asked.

"Better. What can you tell me about the Volturi?" I asked. The sooner we saved Alice, the sooner I could leave Edward.

"The Volturi don't tell you everything. They even lie," Edward said.

I made a note about it. Edward was obviously still miffed at being tricked. That being said, I realized that Edward might be a good liar but he does his best to tell the truth.

"Other than that? Do they have properties where they can hide Alice at?" I asked.

"Volterra is their headquarters. However, they control the whole Italy," he said.

We tried to figure out where they could hide Alice. Three things were for certain. First, Alice was crazy enough to save a vampire hunter. Second, Edward was just as crazy for trying to serve his sister. Third, the Volturi controls everything and time was not on our side.

It was then that Edward's demeanor has changed. "Volturi," he whispered.

We ran out of time. It was now time for plan B.

I did what I could to make it seem like I had a night out. I opened the buttons of my chest and made my wig look disheveled.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"No time to explain. Just follow my lead," I told him.

In a few short moments, someone knocked at our door. It was a big tall man was on the other side. This was different from the intimidating vampire from the other day.

"Edward?" the vampire asked.

Edward looked confused. "I'm Alec from the other day. Have you seen my sister?" he asked.

Edward shook his head. "The last thing I remembered was I was with your sister and a bunch of the other vampires surrounded Bella. The next thing I knew, I was out of that location I haven't seen them since," he said. It was true. Vampires had their senses frozen by the trap.

"Honey, who is it?" I asked.

"Just someone who's searching for someone," Edward said. He then looked at Dimitri. "I'm a little busy right now."

"I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to what you're doing," Dimitri said as Edward closed the door.

Edward got back to where I was. "What was that smell?" he asked seemingly disgusted.

"Red pepper flakes. I ate plenty with my pizza which should mask my scent," I told him. Changing your diet does create differences in the scent. Since I normally don't add red pepper flakes on my pizza, it changes my scent.

"We need to leave by tomorrow," Edward said.

We better leave this area soon. The sooner we wait, the longer Alice will be captive.

End Notes: So, what do you think of Edward? He's under duress. If he didn't give Bella, the Volturi would hold Alice captive and could kill them. Since Bella is technically a food source, he won't hesitate to offer her. However, if he had other option, he'll take it.


	11. Chapter 11 Searching

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you? I just watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 again this weekend. It reminded me of how much I watched the series. I had forgotten how much I loved it. Never mind the fact that Kristen cheated on Rob. I still loved the story.

Chapter 11 Searching

People often looked at vampire-human relationship with raised eyebrow but it wasn't uncommon. It had even been part of our biology classes. A female vampire and male human won't have children as the female vampires have their bodies frozen when they transformed. That meant it's incapable of change. On the other hand, a male vampire and female human could have a baby. That baby would only need to be in the body for 10 days or else it would take a toll on the female body. The main diet for the pregnant woman should be blood.

Anyway, biology had talked about the half-vampire, half-human children. They had the quality of both vampires and humans-they were immortal too. Anyway, female vampire/humans were more humans and male vampire/humans were more vampires (they had venom that they could transform a human to a vampire).

And yet, Edward and I didn't have to worry about it. The two of us being in the relationship was just a ruse to protect me.

"So, where do we start looking for Alice and Jasper?" I asked.

"The Volturi had different properties. They had existed for a very long time and had hidden themselves inside the old structures that didn't even know they were there," Edward explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They had hidden themselves inside the Catholic church. Even the pope doesn't even realize it," Edward said.

Great. The men who was in charge of the church didn't even know that they had parasites living in them.

"How come the Catholics didn't know about them?" I asked.

"Among the good Catholic priests are the parasites-that's what the Volturi leaders were posing as. Priests," Edward said.

I nodded. "What about the rest of the Volturi?" I asked.

"Some pose as nuns. Others pose as monks and parish priests," Edward answered.

I nodded. It was a perfect cover. Monks and lived a secluded life. If they were to enter a monastery that had the vocation of praying for other people, it would seem less likely that they were going to be found out if they decided to drink from the real monks.

"So, Italy is full of old Catholic churches. Where do we start looking?" I asked.

"The Vatican. It keeps over 2,000 years of record. It should help us narrow down the churches," he said.

"How are we going to break to the Vatican? Only the religious were meant to see the records on such short notice," I surmised.

Edward shook his head. "If you're a biblical scholar and had gotten a pass, you can. Carlisle had gotten a pass a long time ago. He wanted to read the original bible and added me as an extension. We're going through the front door-at least I will," he explained.

"How am I going to go in?" I asked him. I mean, wouldn't it make sense?

"As my assistant. Anyway, that's what you'll be doing. You'll be carrying some books and other documents," Edward said.

It seemed very simple. And yet, there should always seems to have a catch.

"You can't come inside the Vatican wearing immodest clothing. You have to wear something a lot less revealing so we'll have to go shopping first," Edward explained.

I shook my head. "I have no money," I told him.

"That's not a problem. I do," Edward said.

"Very well," I said.

The following day, Edward took me shopping. I bought some really long dress that covers my chest. Frankly, I hated the dress. I couldn't move on it. Still, I didn't know what Edward meant when he said modest. I figured that I better be safe than sorry. After all, I'm going to the Vatican. I decided to put on clothes that won't show my armpit, my cleavage, my abs, and my thighs. I was sure I looked ridiculous in my burgundy dress. When I got out, Edward was staring at me.

"I look silly," I told him.

Edward shook his head. "You look beautiful. Shall we go?" he asked.

I nodded. When we got to the Vatican, Edward looked miffed.

There was a sign in Italian-a language that I couldn't understand. At the bottom was an English sign-Vatican closed for maintenance.

What are we going to do now?

End Notes: What do you think? This story had caught me off guard. I had a general idea of what I where I want Bella and Edward to end up. However, there are things in the story that reveals itself as I write the story. It causes some major and minor changes in the story.


	12. Chapter 12 Found

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late delay. A family member came over after a decade of not seeing one another. The guest is very much welcome but she lives in the other side of the country so I don't see her often.

Anyway, my story is shaping up in an interesting manner. It's supposed to be a Bella/Edward story but it's turning into Angels & Demons with the way that this is going with all the trying to find Alice they're doing.

Chapter 12 Found

Edward led us to the side of the Vatican. Surprisingly, there were nobody there. Normally, security was tight in that location. Mostly, to protect people from possible terrorists as there were people who had tried to kill the pope in the past. At least, that was what Edward was telling me.

"How come nobody was there?" I asked Edward, unsettled as there were actually holes in the security of the Vatican. While it made things easier for us, I was so surprised that nobody was there to protect the archives.

"This is closest to the Swiss guard's headquarters. If you make a lot of noise, they'll be here in ten seconds," Edward said, pointing to a location obscured from the normal observers. Then he pointed out the camera and waved. "Besides, I'm here so much that the guards know me. I had served as a Swiss guard back in the day."

"I thought the Vatican don't know about the vampires," I pointed out.

"The Vampires don't know that the Volturi had created themselves a nest inside the church. Vampires, on the other hand, had been inside the Vatican and had a complicated relationship with the humans for centuries," Edward said.

"So, they know you?" I asked.

"Yes. And besides, I tend to play poker nights with a lot of the guards whenever I'm at the Vatican-every few months or so," he explained.

"So, they're fine with us being here? And I didn't know you're Swiss," I said. I just wanted to make sure. Swiss guards are no joke. They were supposed to protect the pope so they had to have the best capabilities.

He laughed. "It does help when you change your identity every few years. Besides, they probably think I'm showing off to my girlfriend," he said.

Edward led me to the long hallways and winding staircases inside the Vatican archives. When we got there, we were surprised to find other scholars who were also doing their research.

"The Vatican archives isn't as tight guarded as people thinks. Once you get the proper clearance, you can come and go as you please," he explained.

"Where did they get in?" I asked.

"The other side door-the one that's actually being guarded," he said.

Edward led me to the area at the Vatican where they had maps. It had all the churches in the world. I was so surprised that they had the updated list of the parish pastors. According to Edward, some of the list were at least 2 months delayed. Vatican had computers, they still had paper documents to back things up. That would be what was stored in the archives. During that time, someone could hack into the Vatican computer and add the vampire names as heads of the parish. Then, the documents could be forged to have the Vatican approval.

"What are we looking for?" I asked.

"A church that's near the pilgrimage sites but wasn't directly in them," he said.

I nodded. That makes sense. Pilgrims visit the pilgrimage sites. However, it should be far enough that it wouldn't draw the attention of the Vatican. Vatican have a vampire fighting force too. They were under the Swiss guards and had their own method of fighting vampires.

Which was quite surprising as Edward managed to have gotten a place among the guards.

I picked St. Maria of Snows. It was a little bit out of the church that housed the head of St. Catherine. It seemed to be a good enough place to find lost pilgrims.

"Yes, Alice could be here," Edward said.

Edward and I decided to check it out first. We decided to spend some time with the other Swiss guards, who Edward became friends with after serving with the guards for over 30 years.

He and I decided to head to St. Maria of Snows. It was one of our best bets where they were hiding Alice.

The three hour drive gave us respite from the trouble. I learned more about Edward. He became a vampire at 1918 when Carlisle tried to save him from Influenza. He had killed plenty of humans during his rebellious years-he killed criminals. That was when he decided to become the member of the Swiss guard.

With him being a vampire, the Swiss guards had an issue. The Swiss guards had been trained to kill the vampires that had threatened the pope. Of course, Eventually, they had come to accept him as one of their own. That was why they had given us provisions before we head to St. Maria of Snows.

When we got there, St. Maria of Snows indeed had vampires in charge of it. They were posing as nuns. I got myself ready to fight. Edward, on the other hand, was quite calm.

"Have you seen this woman?" Edward asked, holding the picture of Alice.

The women shook their head.

"You're lying!" he said, then he turned to me. "Alice is in the basement."

The female vampires turned to our direction. Their eyes were blood red.

Then, in that moment, we heard screaming from the basement.

"Edward! Bella!"

End Notes: Alice has been found. Hurray for Team Bella/Edward! Now, if they can get out of their situation. This story is becoming longer than I thought. It can get longer than Facing the Past but things are still unfolding so we'll see how long it gets.


	13. Chapter 13 The Rescue

Author Notes: Hello, everyone! How are you? Things had been overwhelming me at my other job with all the deadlines and all. I can't wait until the month is over.

Chapter 13 The Rescue

I couldn't believe my ears. It sounded like Alice was screaming somewhere down the basement. I looked at Edward and we looked at the vampiric nuns surrounding us. There were thirteen of them. I needed to make a distraction to get them to move in a straight line. I knew a couple of spells that should slow them down. That should be enough to give Edward the edge to fight them until I realized that it would slow down Edward too.

I looked around to see what was available. The chapel had a lot of pews. I decided to leave Edward's side and run on the pews. As I was running, I was reciting the incantations that would slow them down. When I had finished, all of the vampires including Edward had moved to a human like phase. I got the blades out of my sides. The fastest vampire got in ahead of me. I said "radiatio". It was enough for me to remove her head and threw it as far away as possible. I worked my way with half of the vampires. When I was done, I lit up them up with my portable lighter. Edward handled the other half.

Edward was a lot more peaceful. He just incapacitated the vampires that he was handling. When I was done with my vampires, I made my way over to his. I broke their limbs and threw it as far away as possible and lit them up.

"What the hell, Bella! That's murder," Edward screamed.

"Murder is defined by one human killing another human. Vampires aren't human," I told him.

Edward shook his head and we went to see Alice downstairs. We were horrified when we see Alice strapped on the chair with a rope. Edward was about to help her but stopped.

"The rope. I can't touch it or it'll burn me," Edward explained.

I sighed and removed the rope. The burn on Alice's face and torso were so horrible that it would likely take an entire ten pints of blood to heal her.

"Who did this to you?" Edward asked.

"The Volturi. Jane was in charge of the nuns. Alec was posing as priest," Alice explained.

"And how did they strap you in?" I asked.

"The novices. They were under duress. The vampires kill them whenever they try to escape. Most of them do but some were too afraid to escape," Alice said.

Alice, Edward, and I had left the building. Alice was crying inconsolably.

"Jasper! They..." Alice began.

"Calm down, Alice. What happened to Jasper?" I asked.

"They're going to kill me. They're going to kill me if he doesn't join the guards so he joined the Volturi," Alice said. "We were outnumbered so he joined the guards in order to save me. They're going to break him first. They'll tell him that I died so that they would be angry at you. Then he would try to kill you."

Alice was still rambling. A lot of things were coming out of her that I could barely keep up.

"No one realized the Volturi's plan all along. They're turning the worst vampire hunters into vampires to be part of their guards. It's a way to break their spirits. They're not going to kill you, Bella. They're going to turn you into one of their own. The best guards are the ones that have combat capabilities," Alice continued.

I understood how devastating it could be for a vampire hunter to become a Volturi guard. If it were to happen to me, I couldn't even imagine what I'm going through.

Alice, Edward, and I went back to the United States. I did my best to sleep on the flight letting my guard down. I knew Alice would take care of me. When we got back, we went back to my home to see my father. My house didn't look the way it used to. When I left, the house was full of warmth. Now, it was cold-our house used to be in bright colors. Now, it was painted gray like prison.

"Vampire!" Edward said, preparing to attack.

"Bella?" My dad asked before I could even knock on the door.

"Dad?" I replied.

When I looked at my father, he was different. His skin was pale and his eyes were gold. He moved so fast that one second, he was outside. The next second, he was in front of me. My heart broke with what happened to my father.

"What happened, Dad?" I asked.

"Vampires attacked us when your mother and I were at Billy's. She died. On the other hand, I ended up like this," he said.

"And the rest of the Quileutes?" I asked.

"Dead. Some escaped. Jacob helped the younger ones to get out before the vampires could kill them. The older ones like us? We're either dead or transformed. You need to go. The Volturi are looking for you," Dad said. He then looked at Alice and Edward. "Take care of my daughter."

"With our lives, Mr. Swan," Alice said.

"Edward, can you take my life? I don't want to be a vampire anymore," Dad asked.

I shook my head. "You might be a vampire now but you're still you, dad. You haven't killed any humans, have you?" I asked.

Dad shook his head. "I couldn't do it. I was thinking of you and the thought of some vampire drinking your blood, I couldn't take it. Then, an animal passed by and I drank its blood. Emmett found me. I'm doing the best that I could with the cross I had been given. Sometimes, I cheat and asked Carlisle for donated blood instead of killing someone. I know that once I cross that line, it wouldn't be easy to stop," Dad replied.

I moved closer to my father, and he winced. Still, I hugged him. "I love you, Dad," I said.

"I love you, too," Dad said.

I knew that I needed help. The Volturi will go down. I don't know about Carlisle or what he plans to do, but the Volturi had oppressed us humans long enough and I won't stand for this anymore. Staring at my father, who hated what he had become, I decided that something must be done against these vampires.

End Notes: What do you think about Charlie being a vampire? When the vampires attacked the Quileutes, there were so many of them that they overpowered the wolves. Some of them had died either by being drained or by being killed by the Quileutes themselves. Charlie is one of the few that couldn't be killed because his transformation had been too far along.


	14. Chapter 14 The Training

A/N: Hello, everyone! How is everyone doing? It's been an interesting time for me. Anyway, life happens but I want to write. I have a few more stories going on in my head but I haven't posted them. My focus is on this story.

Now, the ark is going to be moving forward. I don't know if I would do this justice but I'm trying.

Chapter 14 The Training

Carlisle was at his house in Forks. It seemed that he preferred being in small towns instead of the big cities such as Seattle. He had been there for twenty years. Since everyone knew him as the gentle vampire, they had gotten accustomed to his strangeness and had welcomed him to the community.

Alice, Edward, and I were at the Cullen Mansion at Forks. There I got to see Esme and Emmett. Rosalie was busy doing some errands from Carlisle and Carlisle was at a meeting out of town. When we got there, Esme enveloped me with a warm embrace. I was taken aback with such a warm reception.

"I'm glad you got back here safely," Esme said.

Emmett brought some food. It was enough to feed ten people. I noticed that the Cullens tend to be too eager whenever they welcome someone into their home. Whether with vampires, wolves, or humans, they made sure that everything was taken care of.

Esme seemed tense. It was unusual for her to fidget. Vampires don't fidget unless they're extremely tense. Something must've happened.

"Are you okay, Esme?" I asked.

"The Volturi had charged us for harboring a fugitive. Carlisle left to search for allies," Esme explained.

I wasn't expecting that. "I'm so sorry," I said. I disrupted their lives.

Esme shook her head. "We've made our choice. They crossed the line when they abducted Alice and Jasper for bargaining chip," she said.

Esme and Emmett talked about how they could gather more allies. Rosalie left on her own. Emmett was left with Esme to protect her. She was considered weak for a vampire.

Edward and Alice were here to rest. Alice had been through a lot. Vampires were unchanging creatures. When something extraordinary happened to them, it changes them. Good or bad, it creates some change in them. Alice had become a lot more reserved because of the ordeal.

On the other hand, I realized that vampires weren't all that bad. My father was a vampire now. He hated it so much and wanted to kill himself. I felt horrible for my father.

Someone knocked on our door. There were vampires who dressed like Amazonian warriors straight from the middle of the forest.

"Zafrina, Kachiri, Senna," Edward said.

Edward introduced me to Amazon coven. It seemed that they preferred being in the Amazon rainforest than being with the civilization. However, since Carlisle was in trouble, they came here in full force, to lend their strength to Carlisle.

We spent our days sparring. It was refreshing to learn from the vampires who were so wild and unpredictable, that you didn't know their next move. It was in great contrast with mine. I had to modify my attacks in order for me to take them down.

"Let's go to the forest. I think it would give you a better practice if we take down some deer," Zafrina said.

I nodded. She was right. I would need all the practice I could get.

Zafrina, Kachiri, and I went to the forest. Senna decided to stay back. She was helping Alice with something.

We were in the forest when we heard a roar. It wasn't a deer we were hoping to find. A deer don't make that much sound. It was a much guttural one.

When I looked, it was a bear heading to my direction. In an instant, Zafrina was holding it by its neck.

"I need to practice so let's practice on the bear," I said.

"Are you sure?" Zafrina asked.

"Yes. Just be sure to have it in control when it's close to killing me," I joked.

Zafrina let go of the bear. I tried to move fast but I was no match for the bear. I couldn't even stand a chance. In less than two minutes, the bear already had me pinned down. I couldn't move. And then I blacked out.

I woke up on the bed. It was Edward standing right next to me.

"Do you have a death wish?" Edward asked.

"We were practicing. The bear caught me off guard. I can take care of myself," I said.

"Zafrina said you're pinned down in less than one minute. She had to make sure that it doesn't kill you so she stepped in quickly," Edward said.

"What is wrong with you? First, you want to save me. Then, you want to hunt me down. Now, you watch me while I sleep? Make up your mind," I said.

I left not knowing what I was going to do with him. He was gorgeous and yet perplexing at the same time. I tried not to think about it. His reactions overwhelm me. What I need to focus on right now was finding Jasper because Alice isn't the same without him.

End Notes: What do you think about Edward being worried about Bella? He was there when she wakes up and was already berating her for being careless.


	15. Chapter 15 Slayers of Sunnydale

Author's Note: Hello, guys! How are you? I've been good. I've been busy. I've been going through some stuff but I'll be okay. It's normal.

Anyway, this isn't a crossover but there are some other fictional characters that are visiting them. What do you think?

Chapter 15 Slayers of Sunnydale

I was in pain for a week before I was able to get up. Another week before I could do a light workout. The week after that, I was still weak but I could fight. The good thing about not having a broken bone was that once the wound heals, I could literally fight.

Edward insisted that I rest. He was, first and foremost, a doctor like Carlisle. While he was also a soldier, he wanted nothing but to save people. He had made mistakes over the century that he had been alive but still, he was doing what he could in order to help out.

It took another two weeks before Carlisle came back. By then, a few dozens of vampires had shown up. I was getting nervous around them. Their eyes were deep red and my friends and I were food source.

Anyway, Carlisle might've noticed my discomfort. He asked me and Edward to go to other vampire hunters to fight the Volturi.

Although I was hesitant, I agreed. While the Volturi was hunting me down, who would replace them? As evil as they were, they provided stability amongst the vampire world. What would happen now?

I decided that I needed to take care of things one day at a time. For now, our target was to bring the Volturi down. It didn't occur to me that I would help vampires by taking down their leaders-Aro, Marcus, and Caius.

We headed straight to the slayers of Sunnydale. These were women who were given the gift of killing vampires. Somehow, these women were endowed with magic to enhance their natural fighting abilities.

When we got there, we found slayers willing to take down the vampires although some were hostile toward me. I didn't understand it. Edward was always close to me, whether for the fear of his life or something else, I would never know.

When we got there, a blond woman in her late 30's approached me. Her name was Buffy and she seemed to have taken a liking toward me. I wouldn't ignore the kindness she had shown me despite the fact that the other slayers would rather eat me alive.

One day, she and I were alone in the house. She asked me a strange question.

"Would you like to spar with me, Bella?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

Buffy was quick. It took me a couple of minutes to get used to her fighting style. Hers and mine were a little bit different. Hers was Tae Kwon Do. Mine was Karate. She was fast and strong. I knew I stood a chance against her. I tried to take her down.

Then, it happened. She moved fast. So fast that she could match a vampire speed.

"How did you do that? I thought slayers don't have superspeed and superstrength," I asked.

"Slayers were given powers that would match the skill of the vampires nearby," she explained.

"So, that means that if a vampire nearby moves so fast and were superstrong, you'd be able to match them?" I asked again.

"Pretty much," she said.

That was a neat trick to have. That meant that she could defend herself against the vampires.

"Vampires in Sunnydale don't have superspeed. Edward, on the other hand...Human beings on their own were no match for vampires. We needed the help of the supernatural in order to defeat them," she said.

I punched Buffy but she moved back and neatly avoided it. I followed it up with a kick but she swept me with her legs making me land on my back. She held up her hand and helped me get up.

"Seeing you and Edward reminds me of me and Angel," Buffy said. There was that sadness in her eyes as she continued. "Angel and I were forbidden to fall in love. But it didn't last long. He's a vampire and I'm human. He ended up leaving so that I could live a normal life. Looking back, I wished that I would've just crossed those boundaries. That I had the courage to go after him and stay. My life would be a lot different from how it is now. But it's the choice that I didn't make. It's the choice that I would carry with me for the rest of my life."

"I'm not with Edward," I told her.

"Maybe not now. I would forever regret not having the courage to go after Angel. I would always wonder what my life would be like if I had. I could see the way you look at Edward and the way Edward looks at you. Be honest with yourself. Don't let your preconceived judgment prevent you from making the right choice," Buffy said.

We had the dinner that night. Buffy and the slayers agreed to help us. They agreed to help as soon as they worked out who would stay at Sunnydale and who would go.

When Edward and I were on our way home, there were the vampires with alabaster skin surrounding us. They came toward our direction and attacked us. They held me tightly. Meanwhile, they tore Edward into pieces.

And I screamed.

Before I could even blink, the slayers surrounded us. They fought the vampires and killed most of them. Only two were able to flee.

Meanwhile, we assembled Edward's body. We were able to find all of his pieces and put them back together. I cried when I saw him. He was unconscious which was rare for vampires. They don't sleep.

"He's thirsty," Buffy said. "It took some energy to piece him back together."

"We don't have blood supplies," I pointed out.

"You're right. We don't carry extra on hand. I guess you'll have to wait until he becomes conscious...if he becomes conscious," Buffy said. Then she left.

I wanted to go out and hunt. However, instead of vampires, I would be going for bears. There weren't a lot of blood around. Except for mine. That was when I decided to cut my fingers, let out some blood, and placed it on Edward's mouth.

Edward drank some of my blood. That was when he was able to regain some of his strength back. He's conscious now. Tomorrow, he'd go hunting and get himself satiated. He didn't want to drain me and take the risk of me becoming a vampire.

"Last night, I was so scared. I thought you'd die," I said.

"So what if I did? You don't care," Edward said.

"Of course I care. You're important to me," I said, stopping short of saying how I truly feel.

"Very well. Sleep. We'll postpone and leave tomorrow afternoon instead," he told me.

I was calm after that. Edward was okay. I knew that we'll be okay too.

End Notes: So, what do you think of Buffy giving advice to Bella? Buffy had been in love with other vampires but it's only because she regretted not following him because of her responsibility. She had moved on from Angel but regret is still there. It's like giving advice to her younger self.


	16. Chapter 16 The Siren

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you doing? I've been meaning to post this yesterday but life had gotten in the way. Here it is.

Chapter 16: The Siren

Edward and I got home without an incident. Both of us were quiet, lost on our own thoughts. Every couple of hours, he would ask me a question of whether I was hungry or not. Or whether or not I needed to go to the bathroom. For a vampire, he seemed to be pretty in tune with my needs. The drive should've taken an entire day but with Edward's driving, it only took 8 hours.

When we got there, Jacob was at the Cullen's waiting for me. I gave him a hug.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Carlisle asked me to come. He said he's building a team to take down the Volturi," he said.

That made me raise my eyebrow. "You're working with a vampire?!" I shrieked. I was shocked.

"Well, Carlisle is a different vampire. He wants to live in harmony with the rest of the creation," Jacob said.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Jacob asked.

I nodded. Jacob is like my brother after all.

We were close to the town when Jacob and I actually had our talk.

"Carlisle plans on having a council with vampire, humans, and vampire hunters," Jacob explained.

"So, it'll basically be a United Nation with mythical creatures," I pointed out.

"Pretty much. We need something to replace the Volturi. We couldn't take them down when people need a ruler. What do you think, Bella?" Jacob asked.

"I don't know what to think. You and the vampires having a truce? That's unlike you," I told him.

"Carlisle is different from the Volturi. He's more of a hippie than a fascist," Jacob joked.

"What changed you?" I asked.

"Being exposed to vampires. Besides, Uncle Charlie is now a vampire and he seems to be having a hard time with it. You too. You might deny it but I know you're in love with Edward. I can see the way you look at him and I can say the way he looks at you," Jacob said.

"That's not true," I said.

"I know you, Bella. I've known you since we were young. I know when you like someone," Jacob said.

That's when the siren for the Vampire Hour rang. It totally slipped our mind. I grabbed the stake I always kept with me. Jacob grabbed his as well.

"We need to get back," I told Jacob.

Jacob and I took our time walking. We knew how to fight the vampires. We could take care of ourselves.

We were close to the Cullen mansion when three vampires showed up.

The vampires had red eyes-human drinkers. One was a female vampire with a fiery red head. The other was a male blond vampire with wild eyes. He was the one that killed Jessica. And the last one was a male vampire with olive skin.

I moved toward the blond.

"We meet again," the blond vampire said.

"You're dead," I told him. Tonight would be the night that he would die in my hands.

He sauntered toward me and I said the incantations that would slow him down. Then, the female vampire came and joined us. I was cornered. The female vampire came after I finished my incantations so it missed her. Before I knew what I was doing, she had her hands wrapped up around my neck.

I never knew what it was like to die. And yet, the moment had come. This was the moment I was about to die. I closed my eyes as the female vampire tilted my head on the side. That was when we heard the siren that ended the vampire hour.

All of the vampires left after that. We were in a stalemate. Jacob and I weren't able to kill any of them and they weren't able to make a meal out of us.

"Let's go, Jacob!" I told my brother.

I looked at Jacob and saw that he had received a few cuts-that's normal if you were to fight with vampires.

"We better not stay with the Cullens. We're both bleeding," Jacob said.

I agreed. There's nothing better than bleeding and staying with vampires that can smell you from afar.

Jacob called Esme to let her know. We went back to Jacob's house at the Quileute reservation. Alice was waiting for us with a first aid kit which we accepted wholeheartedly.

It still surprised me that there would be kind vampires. In the world where I could see vampires treat us like grilled cheese, there were a few that treated us with dignity. Maybe we could coexist after all.

End Notes: What do you think about actually bringing back the hour sirens? I think it's time to bring back what the Vampire Hour is all about. Vampires getting their hour every 2 weeks. It'll be interesting how the story goes from now on.


	17. Chapter 17 When Jasper Escaped

A/N: How are you, everyone? How's your labor day weekend? Anyway, it's been great. My brother gave me a laptop as a birthday gift. It'll be in 1 week.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out where this story would go. There's a lot of things going on. I'm trying to figure out how to tie up this story which will take at least 10 chapters-we're not even halfway through at this point. That way, this story wouldn't go on and on. This story is a lot bloodier than Facing the Past. And I only do one chapter and no sequel.

Chapter 17 When Jasper Escaped

The arrival of the slayers from Sunnydale made the location pretty safe for us. Every night they hunted vampires. On occasion they had spared some of them-especially the ones that had been drinking animal blood and were supplementing themselves with donated human blood.

Carlisle's plans seemed to be working. Forks had been a peaceful location away from the observance of the Volturi. Vampires were drinking human blood on a regular basis without killing humans through the blood bank as a monthly supplement for animal blood. Us humans were still uneasy with it but if it keeps vampires from killing humans, it would be a necessary compromise.

Of course, vampires seemed to have liked hunting animals better. The thrill of going after bears and mountain lions were nothing compared to chasing after humans. Those that had subscribed through Carlisle's method seemed to have thrived better than those that haven't. Their bonds were stronger than those that have drank human blood.

Drinking from humans changes a vampire. It made them colder and more ruthless according to human standards. As vampires weaned themselves from human blood, they had received what humans would call warmth and affection to people.

Carlisle only drank human blood whenever he's changing a human-usually under dire circumstances. When they're close to dying, that's when Carlisle changes them.

The members of Carlisle's coven don't often drink human blood. Every month, they drink one pint. It resulted in their eyes being orange. However, there was a strong familial bond between them-unlike most vampires. Alice and Edward considered themselves a brother and sister. Rosalie and Edward too, but they're the type of siblings that would kill each other but would have each other's backs.

I liked the quietness here in Forks. It's how it should be. The slayers had taken over the role of the wolves who had been severely incapacitated with the vampire attack. Slayers kept the vampires in check.

That was until a group of three vampires showed up. We were all on the border watching with one of the slayers. Then, the vampires in robes came. One was a tiny vampire that Edward once called Jane. She was part of the Volturi. Next to her was Jasper, looking like he wanted nothing to do with these people. When Jasper showed me, a hint of recognition dawned on his face. He looked at me and mouthed "help". Jacob saw that too.

We were about to fight when Jane wrapped her arms around Jasper's neck as if she was to choke him if he made a mistake.

I wanted to fight. I really did. But I couldn't. Not with Jasper being in Jane's chokehold.

Jasper seemed like he wanted to get away. Yet he was surrounded by vampires that could take him down the second he fought.

That was when I felt a deep pang of sadness. I wanted nothing more than to cry. Then, I felt so cold that I was shivering. So was Jane. She was shaking too. That was when Jasper slipped through Jane's grasp and I almost doubled over because I was shivering myself.

Jasper hasn't even gotten far when he himself had doubled over. Everyone else seemed to be in pain except for the members of the Volturi and myself. I acted like I was struggling myself but I made sure to prepare myself. Members of the Volturi clan had supernatural abilities and this could be it. Jane was taking her sweet time to get to me. Meanwhile, I was reciting the incantation that took longer to recite but would have a longer effect and would have a wider range. By the time Jane reached me, she was slower, and her skin had softened. I was about to stab her when Jasper stopped me.

"We need her for questioning," Jasper said.

"But she'll come back to the Volturi," I protested.

Jasper shook his head. "Don't worry. We'll keep her in check. Especially you. And so would the slayers. We need someone for questioning," he said.

I reluctantly agreed. I knew how important it was to know more.

The slayers finished the other Volturi vampire. Meanwhile, Jasper placed a graphene handcuff on Jane's wrists. Graphene was the strongest material known to man. It should be enough to stop a vampire without debilitating them.

When we got home, Jasper locked Jane on the interrogation room. We could hear screams coming from Jane. Jasper seemed to be a man on a mission as he asked question about what the Volturi was doing here at Forks.

End Notes: Jasper escaped. What do you think he'll do to Jane? Remember, Jane tortured him and Alice. It's also good to find out their plans with Carlisle and the Cullens.


	18. Chapter 18 The Kiss

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you? I've been busy with Scentsy and with work. My birthday is coming up on Tuesday. :-)

Anyway, I decided that I'm going to try something different. I will write the chapters by hand and then type them when I had a chance. I noticed that this helped me concentrate on my writing as it eliminates distractions. Of course, it'll be working a different part of my brain so it's going to result to a slightly different writing. This is a quarter computer writing and three fourths handwriting.

Chapter 18 The Kiss

When we went to the Cullen mansion, Jasper immediately locked Jane in the interrogation room. It had graphene table and graphene walls. It was sound proof so no human being would hear her screams.

When Edward brought me to the control room, Jasper had shown the face of an avenging angel.

"What do the Volturi want from us?" Jasper asked. His voice was soft but eerie, like you know he could be dangerous. Every vampire should be scared but not Jane.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Jane said mockingly and then both Edward and Jasper winced in pain.

"We need to work on that," Edward said.

"Work on what?" I asked.

"Didn't you feel it? Jane had the power to bring pain even on the toughest vampires," Edward said.

But I didn't feel it. I just wondered what was going on with everyone.

Edward explained the ability of the twins-Alec and Jane. Jane had the ability to bring pain. On the other hand, Alec had the ability to numb the sense. They were the Volturi's greatest weapon. No wonder Jasper didn't let me kill Jane. We could use her as our bargaining chip.

Edward and I watched as Jasper did his best to make Jane spill her guts. He began by chopping off her arm. Then it wriggled around before Jasper reattached it. There was nothing more terrifying than removing and reattaching people's body parts knowing that they could reattach themselves. He did it repeatedly obviously amused with the pain he's inflicting.

"Tell me the truth," Jasper said.

Suddenly, I had the desire to tell the truth myself.

"I always thought you're good looking even for a vampire. You love your coven like a family. It's one of the things I love about you," I told Edward.

"You're stronger than an average human. I found it fascinating how you could defeat several vampires at the same time. I found it extremely attractive," Edward said.

With both me and Edward spilling our guts with each other, how much more did Jane have to endure?

"The Volturi used to be fond of Carlisle but they now see him as a threat. They wanted to find out what he's doing-find out what the threats were up to. He could be starting an upheaval without even realizing it," Jane said.

In that moment, both Edward and Jasper seemed to be wincing in pain. I touched Edward's hand to comfort him but he ended up hugging me instead.

"I don't feel the pain while holding you," Edward said.

That was when I noticed that his lips were several centimeters away from mine. In that instant, I imagined what it was like to kiss them. And then I did.

Edward's lips were already on mine before I could even say anything. And it felt like I was on fire. Every edge of my body was tingling. The slightest touch made me want to move closer. And before I know it, it was over. I didn't even notice that Jasper entered the room.

"Jane said that the Volturi was planning to send more vampires to squash Carlisle. She's the first and Alec would be coming soon with his own set of soldiers. And you two really needed to be more honest with each other," Jasper said.

"We just got carried away for the moment," I said.

"That was me giving my best to compel Jane to tell the truth. Unfortunately, that had been felt through the whole house," Jasper replied.

I didn't know that Jasper could do that. So Edward wanted to kiss me for a long time?

If anything, I'll suggest you two get married. You could die anytime with the upcoming war," Jasper said.

I didn't get what Jasper was saying. Maybe it was Edward and I being opposites with each other that made me want to do that. However, since it was with Jasper's influence, I'd take it with a grain of salt.

End Notes: So, Bella and Edward finally kissed. Did you realize that Jasper could both feel and manipulate emotions? He'd been feeling what Edward and Bella had been feeling the entire time.


	19. Chapter 19 The Capture

A/N: Hello, everyone! Here's an earlier update than usual. Writing by hand actually does wonders to my productivity. For one thing, I'm not distracted with the television whenever my grandma is watching. Anyway, I only have to type it which doesn't require a lot of concentration as I have something to copy from.

I might have to keep on doing this. It could help me finish this faster but the story might be different than what I originally planned. Writing works a different part of my brain than actual computers.

Chapter 19 The Capture

Edward explained to me the miniscule details of all his coven's supernatural abilities. Jasper is an empath-he can feel and manipulate everyone's emotions. Alice can see the future depending on people's decisions. And Edward could read minds of everyone around him except for me. I thought that there was a glitch on my brain why he couldn't read my mind.

I was glad he couldn't read my mind however. It meant that he won't know that I wanted to kiss him a lot. That I loved to spend so much time with him at any given moment. I was glad that he couldn't read my mind or I'll be embarrassed.

Edward showed me his meadow. It was a peaceful place. It was his sanctuary-a place he went to so that he could rest from listening to everyone's mind. However, he hated being alone so he brought me there. I was glad. I could enjoy the silence with Edward. There had been too many people around. As an introvert, I needed rest from them myself.

I usually have a book. I stayed there for so long I eventually finished reading. Lately, after the Jane incident, Edward and I found ourselves kissing for hours.

It was a welcomed respite. Most days, we were training to fight with the slayers and Jasper. I didn't realize that he was good at fighting. It must've been why nobody could harm Jasper without capturing Alice first.

Jane was there, still at the interrogation room where she was brought blood from both animal and donated humans. We found out Jane's Motivation for doing what she did. If she didn't do what the Volturi wanted, Alec would die. If Alec didn't do what the Volturi wanted, Jane would.

Jane coped by imagining all of her victims to be Aro, Marcus, and Caius-the leaders of the Volturi. Considering the torture everyone seemed to have endured, she must've really despised the three.

Rosalie and Emmett resumed to the task of calling out for allies which was a good thing. They had the best technical skill among the group. Their trips had been used as an excuse to gather some materials for whatever gadget Edward and Carlisle had in mind.

Esme overwhelmed us with food. It seemed that she had her maternal instinct on full force as she made sure all of us were fed. This was good. Between Jacob, the slayers, and I, we could eat an entire mountain.

Forks was essentially under Carlisle's control. Since he wanted nothing to do with it, the leadership eventually was passed down to Jasper. All of his siblings kept him in check to make sure that he didn't get too much-we're preparing for an eventual confrontation with the Volturi but we're not at full on war yet.

That was when other allies came in. Carlisle had made a lot of friends over the centuries. They were ready to fight at any moment's notice.

With a bunch of vampires around, it made Edward uncomfortable and told me he was ready to take me and leave. I was having none of it. I could take care of myself. Jacob just laughed and explained that vampires were just protective of their mates. I shook my head. Edward might be my boyfriend but he isn't my mate.

Apparently, Jacob was fine with me dating Edward. The irony considering that he's now the leader among the wolves.

I couldn't be a vampire's mate. I don't mate with them, I kill them. Edward could just be a phase. Carlisle was just an anomaly among the vampires.

Anyway, Jacob and the rest of the Quileutes were rebuilding. The old stories that had been passed on, the traditions, everything. It would take at least ten years before his tribe would be whole again. It angered me whenever I thought of that-they were also my family and friends.

Everything was calm until Carlisle's friends from the Denali coven showed up. Their eyes were amber-proof that they hadn't had human blood for a long time. Their leader Tanya seemed to have an eye on Edward. I was immediately on alert. Nobody could take away my man and get away with it.

I never left Edward's side except when I went to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Edward seemed to be uncomfortable with her around.

Despite my anger with the vampires, I knew that some of them would be our allies against the Volturi. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Carlisle also had a rule of not killing people in his territory but they were welcome to get 10 pints of blood from the refrigerator. He had more shipped from the nearby town. Or they could hunt from the nearby town during the vampire hour. That was still in place.

I was surprised that nobody from the Denali coven drank blood. Edward explained that they had foregone drinking human blood in lieu of fulfilling their carnal desires with me. It was easier to do that if they weren't treating their partners as cheeseburgers as well.

That being said, I told everyone that Tanya better not be within ten feet of Edward or she'd have to answer to me. Everyone, from Jasper to Alice, and the entire Cullen coven just laughed at my statement. Did they take it as a joke?

Jacob and I, as well as the slayers, were hunting during the vampire hour. Edward reluctantly agreed despite worrying about my safety. He should know by now that I could take care of myself and that I got backup.

None of their friends hunt in Forks out of respect for Carlisle. Usually, they ran to Seattle during their vampire hour-it was typically announced one week ahead of time but people often forget despite the numerous reminders. Those unfortunate ones like Jessica ended up dying too soon.

Carlisle's friends often try the Cullen diet-hunt wild animals supplemented by donated human blood. Humans who donated were well compensated.

Anyway, there was a vampire roaming around who didn't seem to have gotten the memo. That was who we were after at the moment.

The vampire reminded me of Jane. That was when I realized it was Alec.

"Run!" I shouted. Even vampires were afraid of Alec.

It was too late. None of the slayers could move. Neither could Jacob. Which meant that I was left to fend for myself.

Before I could blink, Alec already had me on a chokehold.

"Where's my sister?" he asked.

"She's alive," I said. Jasper had calmed her as she was being hysterical about her brother. "She's okay."

"You're coming with me," he said.

I didn't really have a choice. Alec gave me the option to come peacefully or my helpless friends die. I chose the former.

End Notes: Alec captured Bella. How do you think Edward would react? My plan for next chapter is to have things seen through Edward's eyes. I haven't done this on this story but it seems to fit the story better. I didn't intend to but he'll explain the situation better.


	20. Chapter 20 The Plan (Edward's POV)

A/N: Hi, everyone! How have you been? I've been quite busy this weekend with attending birthday parties, feast days, and stuff.

Anyway, the next chapter I'm already writing but I'm not quite happy with it. I might have to rewrite it. Hopefully, I can post it by next week.

This chapter is written in Edward's POV. I was intending on sticking with Bella but I'd like to see things in Edward's perspective. I hope you don't mind.

Chapter 20: The Plan

Edward POV

I was so worried about them, especially with my Bella. These humans might think that they have control over vampires but they're severely mistaken. Vampires were intelligent creatures. We were once human beings like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Most of us had lived for hundreds of years. Hence, it'll be like adults dealing with children.

Bella wasn't with them when they came back. Even Jacob had a serious look.

"what happened with Bella?" I asked.

"There was this vampire. He numbed all our senses. When we were finally able to regain them, the vampires were gone. So was Bella," Jacob explained.

That was when my phone rang-Bella. I answered the phone but there was a man on the other line.

"What have you done with Bella?" I asked. Bella wouldn't let me call her my mate yet.

"You mean this feisty young lady? She'd bite my head off if I gave her some wiggle room. That's why all of her limbs were strapped on a chair," Alec said.

"I want Bella alive and unharmed," I said.

"I want my sister alive too," Alec said. "Otherwise, Bella would die."

"Jane is alive," I said. If a strand of Bella's hair was moved out of place, you'd encounter me. I'm Anthony Masen."

The name Anthony Masen brought so much fear among vampires their knees shook everytime they hear the name. According to le legend, Anthony Masen swore to protect the pope. He was kind yet ruthless. There was no point on hiding anything. He'd know what you did as soon as he sees you.

"And I'm Alec, Jane's brother. Do you really think that legends would work for me? I want my sister back," Alec said.

I looked at Jasper knowing he was against it. He shook his head to state his desires clearly.

"I'd get back to you," I said.

Jasper and I went to a secluded location. While he had grown fond of Bella, we were planning to use Jane as a bargaining chip for the Volturi. Letting go of Jane now meant we won't have our bargaining chip.

"I'll rescue Bella," I said.

Alice appeared. She was telling Bella's latest whereabouts.

"I know where Bella would be. She would be in a convent," Alice said.

Then, she described it in detail. It was another convent, which the Volturi began to take over. It made me sick that one can enter either a convent or a seminary, and from that moment, they used it as a guise, killing the original resident surreptitiously and then replacing the old ones of vampires posing in as monks and nuns. While I might've retired my uniform, it's the case of once a Swiss guard, always a Swiss guard.

We determined what convent it was. As always, it was right next to the most prominent Cathedral in Seattle. Jasper offered to help but I refused. He was the one leading us. If he gets captured, we'd have a harder time with my movement. Which was why the most important piece of chess is the king. It could only modify move one square. If the king gets captured, we're all dead.

"I want to help," Alice said.

"We leave at midnight," I said.

In chess, it wasn't that the queen was less important than the king. Being right next to the king, she was able to manipulate behind the scenes so that she could win. Even in old monarchy where the king rules, he couldn't do anything overt to keep her seemingly quiet nature that could get rid of the king's enemies.

Jasper seemed to understand this. He wanted me to bring more slayers but I refused. This was supposed to be a rescue mission and not an ambush. Alice could see me walking around, right next to vampires being burned. Shew as carrying Bella. Alec would be. She was carrying Bella. Alec would be chopped into pieces, his body parts inside a locked box that had no space on top.

I nodded to Alice. Her mission would change at any given moment. If someone made a split second decision, it could change.

Alice and I left exactly at midnight. She was dressed like a ninja-black from head to toe with a black facemask. I was just dressed in my regular clothes with the box especially designed to hold a captured vampire. The design was mine back in the day when I was known to be ruthless.

We arrived at the location of Alice's vision. Some vampires would die tonight

End Notes: What do you think of Edward? Next chapter would be on Bella's POV. I'm not happy with how it's going so I might have to rewrite it. Hopefully, I'd make it in time for next week. Thanks for being patient.


	21. Chapter 21 The Avenging Angel (Bella POV

A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm back. Anyway, this chapter is quite short. It was actually longer on my handwritten notes but I decided to cut it into two. This one deals with the rescue of Bella. The story is moving along.

Anyway, it's back to Bella's POV. I do my best to keep it at Bella's POV. It makes things a lot less confusing.

Triquetra is the symbol of the Charmed ones from the television series Charmed. It's also the symbol for the Trinity.

Chapter 21: The Avenging Angel (Bella's POV)

I couldn't sleep as Alec designed a triquetra tattoo on my back using a knife. Triquetra was a symbol of three in one. Witches symbolized it as past, present, future. Christians used that symbol for the Trinity. All I wanted to do was to punch the man for carving it on my back. The pain had caused me to scream for hours as I sought for relief that wouldn't come.

"Triquetra is also a symbol of the Volturi," Alec said. "Three people reigning as one."

The Volturi were seemed to have some god complex going on.

That was when we heard screams outside. Then, there was silence. Alec sent a couple of his underlings to check on the situation.

Alec then untied me as he led me outside. Next, he carried me as he moved in a blur. He seemed to be in fear for his life at that moment.

"Edward Cullen seemed to be on the edge," Alec commented.

It was amazing how this man could torture me one minute and act like my best friend the next. "He's my boyfriend," I said.

He looked at the mark on my back and cringed.

"Anthony Masen would be furious," Alec said.

Then, there was another loud noise. Alec led me toward the front of the church, praying as he moved.

That was when Edward came in with Alice. He was wearing a ninja attire. There was something different about him but I couldn't place it at the tip of my tongue. He was beautifully terrifying. I could understand Alec's fear.

Edward approached Alec. He looked at my captor straight in the eye, and said, "Let my mate go, Alec of the Volturi. You're being given mercy," Edward said.

"Never!" Alec said as he attacked.

"You left me no choice then," Edward said.

For the most part, Edward walked in deliberate slowness. He then took out a stick that could be extended into a staff. Alec unsuccessfully tried to attack Edward. Edward seemed to be going easy on Alec. The staff created some sparks which hit Alec several times. Finally, Alec had been subdued.

Edward divided Alec into pieces and burned him in Alec's makeshift fire.

Alice untied me and Edward carried me. I could walk by myself but I was so tired.

When we got home, Esme had food already prepared. I did my best to inhale the food. I hadn't eaten in days. Then, I went to the bathroom to bathe. When I removed my shirt, I observed my new scar. I winced. Alec had done more damage to me than I realized. I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Are you okay? It's Edward," Edward said.

"I'm okay," I said.

"Bella, this is Alice. Let me come in," she said.

I felt a sigh of relief that Alice was there. I was afraid to show Edward my new scar. I opened the door and let Alice in. She bathed me in silence for which I was glad. The scenes of the past few days made me want to sleep.

When we were finished, I went to my room. There was a soft knock, and I got up and opened it. I knew it was Edward before I could even open the door. I let him in my room and he hugged me. I went to sleep that night in his arms. His arms were a welcome comfort after the past few days. I found myself asleep the whole night.

The next morning, we had a meeting. It started out a little late as Jasper gave me time to relax. It was no joke being a subject of torture.

He was giving us new assignments. Almost everyone took turns guarding our borderline except for me. As I was recuperating, I got the dreaded task of babysitting a suicidal vampire otherwise known as Jane.

End Notes: What do you think of Edward's vengeance? What do you think would happen to Bella being left with Jane?


	22. Chapter 22 The True Colors of Jane

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you? I seem to be so tired today. Hence, I'm posting it quite late. Next week could also be another late post. I'll be doing 10k run/walk. Depending on how fast I write the story and how tired I am, I might post it after Sunday.

Chapter 22 The True Colors of Jane

For the most part, Jane was quiet. The occasional wincing of Edward showed that, at the very least, she did mind my presence, that I was the reason her brother was dead.

The wound on my back proved that Edward did the right thing. He told Alec not to fight-to walk away without any harm. But Alec fought Edward.

It was Alec's own hubris that was his downfall, if nothing else.

Jasper told me not to do anything to Jane. He just said to observe her. See if she would snap without him controlling her emotions. All I could see in her was hatred-the same one I felt upon Jessica's death. Jane was grieving. I was far from the girl that I used to be-the one who had witnessed my friend's suffering. Now, if I could help Jane do the same, it would be worth it. I could identify myself with Jane. She must hate us right now. The only difference was that vampires were unchanging creatures. It meant that they could be stuck in grief for a very long time.

When Jessica died, Jacob became so concerned with me that he made me join the kids' martial arts class Sam was teaching-the one that the Quileute tribe had created. Every Quileute I knew had learned it from the time they were young. I had progressed that I was able to join the already advanced ones in just a few months' time.

When the Quileutes were attacked a few months ago, it was because there were vampires with supernatural ability that they were incapacitated. The Quileutes didn't stand a chance. I only found out about it recently when Jacob told me to make me feel better about being abducted.

Meanwhile, I had a plan for Jane. I led her to the forest, close enough that Edward could instantly come the moment I scream. Jasper was also nearby. That was when the wild bear head in our direction.

"Hunt it down," I told Jane.

Jane went after the wild boar with gusto. Before I could even blink, the bear was on its back. It tried to attack her but it didn't stand a chance. Jane bit into the bear, and then it roared. After that it was silent.

"You're reckless," Edward said appearing from nowhere. He kissed me on my forehead.

We were still within Jane's reach, cautious as she was drinking. The Cullens made sure that she drank ten pints of donated human blood every two weeks. However, this time, it seemed that Jane enjoyed playing with her food. I figured that drinking blood and hunting would help her release her pent up energy so that she could deal with her brother's death.

Edward led Jane and I back to the mansion, Jane in a much better demeanor. Then, I told Edward to turn on the music. Nothing cheers a broken heart better than some upbeat music. That was when Jane put her foot down.

"We need to talk," Jane said, looking at Edward.

"I'll be right outside," Edward said, kissing me on my forehead and leaving me with Jane.

"I know you're feeling guilty but I'm really okay. Do you feel guilty about my brother dying?" Jane asked.

"A little. Edward did kill Alec," I admitted. "I just didn't want you to hate like I did."

"Edward had no choice but to kill my brother. Alec has you, his mate. Any vampire would kill if someone threatened their mate. Did Alec torture you?" Jane asked.

"Yes," I said, showing Jane the healing wound of the triquetra.

Jane winced. "It would be lucky if anyone survived Edward's revenge. If someone did something similar to my mate, I'd be beside myself too. My brother was gone but I'm still here," Jane said.

For someone whose supernatural ability is inflicting pain, she was surprisingly taking everything well.

"Alec and I had been alone in the world. Our father constantly beat both of us up. It had different effects on us. Alec was not caring about anything. When he became a vampire, it caused everyone to feel numb about him.

"I made people cry with how I managed to remain cheerful despite our circumstances. Alec had always been protective of me. I was his sister after all. That being said, I didn't want to add to the violence anymore. That's why I'm stepping back. I had always wanted to live a quiet life next to my friends and family. Now that Alec was gone, I want to live. My best chance is with Carlisle," Jane said.

"I see," I replied. I didn't think about that.

The past few days had been fairly quiet. Jane and I went to Zumba class together. Jane seemed to have made friends with almost everybody. She seemed to be coping well. Still, I needed to keep an eye on her. This went on for a month.

Jane and I were on our way home. That's when I saw the vampire. He had an olive complexion with a chalky pallor. His eyes were bright red.

"Demetri!" Jane said, her overly cheerful expression was replaced with fear.

End Notes: So, Demetri arrived. What do you think? He's still a member of the Volturi guard. He's also the best tracker in the world and he works for the Volturi. Hence, Jane was afraid that Demetri had managed to track her down.


	23. Chapter 23 The Volturi

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you? I've been tired for the past couple of days so I've only managed to upload this chapter even though I did finish the chapter a few days ago.

Anyway, I'm going to do my best to update on my regular time but it'll likely going to be late again. It's my cousin's wedding this Sunday but I wouldn't be with my laptop during my travels.

Chapter 23 The Volturi

"Jane," Demetri said. He gave her a hug. In that moment, I saw how he looked at her-the same way Edward looks at me.

"Are you alright?" Demetri asked.

"Yes," Jane answered. She looked at me. "This is Bella, one of my captors."

Demetri looked at me warily. I held out my hand.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

That was when Edward appeared. He had been close enough to help me should Jane run away or hurt me.

"I'm Edward, Bella's mate," he said.

That was when Demetri stood up taller.

"Let's go somewhere else," Edward told us.

Edward led us to his car and we all got in. Then, Edward sped toward the Cullen mansion. Demetri came with us even though he was a Volturi guard. Edward then went on to explain that he had killed Alec who was holding me hostage at the time.

Edward treated Demetri as if he was our guest. In reality, he was the messenger telling us that the Volturi declared war with us and that they were coming to subdue us.

"Surrender now so that there won't be war," Demetri said.

"There's no reason for us to surrender," Edward said.

"Bella's human and the laws of vampires don't apply to humans. She's also my mate," Edward said.

"It actually does matter if she kills vampires. The human law protect her from humans surrendering her. Seeing as you're a vampire, that doesn't exempt you," Demetri replied.

"Well then. We're not surrendering," Edward said.

"It's now time for me to leave. Are you coming, Jane?" Demetri asked.

"I can't come. I'm still their prisoner," Jane said.

That wasn't true. Jane comes and goes as she pleases. She seemed to actually enjoy staying with us.

When Demetri left, we alerted our vampire allies and the slayers. A vampire named Angel also came. He's different from the vampires I knew. Then there were the Salvatores. They were different from the vampires of Forks and from Angel.

Our house were full of vampires, more than what Edward was comfortable of. He then sent me to Jacob's house where all the slayers were staying. They too were getting restless-having so many vampires around meant that their bodies adapt to the vampires around them. They couldn't eat and sleep so they needed to be far enough to resume their normal lives. Edward entrusted me to Jacob. He said he'll be within the range of his mind reading abilities during the night-which was within a mile radius. During the day, Edward and I spend it together.

Meanwhile, the slayers, the wolves, and I were busy preparing our weapons. There would likely be hundreds of vampires against us although there would be likely more in our favor. We e spent the entire day fashioning wood into stake, bearing in mind that putting stake into their heart would kill them just for a split second when they become human-like in appearance. It would only be effective with the Quileutes and I as vampire slayers match the capabilities of the vampires within their distance.

According to Jane, once the Volturi had declared war, we only had one week to prepare at most. Hence, we reduced our training every other day instead of everyday to preserve our energy. We had our own set of schedule as we need to build our weapons to help our allies.

The Volturi came on the fifth day of the Volturi's declaration. Jane came with them wrapped in chains. We had given her the blessing to go as soon as Demetri showed up. It was sad to see her limbs and neck chained up. Demetri was chained up too. There was a vampire holding a stick. Everytime it touched Jane, she seemed to be getting electrocuted. Everyone got ready to fight. I would make sure to free Jane and Demetri even if it killed me.

End Notes: Jane gets captured by the Volturi. Anyway, the Volturi had treated her like a slave. She had been disobedient so they chained her up. What do you think of her now?

Anyway, I'm still writing what would happen on the confrontation. I don't promise that it will be peaceful-it could get bloody.


	24. Chapter 24 The First Day of Battle

A/N: Hello, everyone! How are you? I lied about my cousin's wedding. It's on the 29th but I thought I only have a week to go when I updated last time. Anyway, I'll see if I could update on the actual week of my cousin's wedding-the 29th.

Helen of Troy was a famous character in the Greek myth. She was known for her beauty. She was married to the King of Troy. But Paris abducted her. That's the reason for the Trojan war. That's the summary. Greek myths are fun. Percy Jackson and the Olympians are actually a retelling of the old myths but was kidified.

Chapter 24: The First Day of Battle

The three leaders of the Volturi stepped in-Caius, Marcus, and Aro. I only knew them from television, being vampire goodwill ambassadors. And now, here they were starting a war to get me.

"Give to us Bella, the vampire killer," Aro said.

"No," Carlisle answered. "She's my son's mate."

Marcus finally spoke. "I could see the ties linking Bella to a particular vampire," Marcus said, looking at Edward. "Are you Carlisle's son?" Marcus looked at Edward.

"Yes," Edward answered.

"Would you come here?" Aro asked Edward.

Edward stepped closer and held out his hand to Aro. Everyone who had access to televion knew of Aro's ability-he could know every person's thought with a single touch.

"Fascinating. You had always been attracted to her, haven't you?" Aro asked.

"Yes," Edward said.

Edward went back to where he originally was earlier.

"Nevertheless, she's a danger to us all. I want your mate. Surrender her to me," Aro said.

"Never!" Edward screamed.

The ones with the Volturi moved forward and started to attack us. The person prodding Jane did so, and commanded Jane to use her powers. That was what she did. Everyone dropped to their knees as if they were in pain except for me. She freed Demetri and moved toward me alone.

"Let's go," Jane said.

I did as I was told. Jand and I escaped from the crowd. We found the nearest vehicle inside the Cullen mansion. It was the silver Volvo.

"That's Edward's," I said.

"I know," Jane said. She produced the key. "I took it from his pocket when he weren't looking."

As Edward could read minds, I knew he had implicitly given Jane permission to get the key.

Jane then rode the driver's side. I was sitting right next to her when she sped out of town. We were both on a run, our lives were both in danger. What Jane did could easily have gotten her killed.

"It's for the best," I said.

Had I stayed, the Cullens could be in even more danger. The Volturi had already declared war on the Cullens for my sake. Maybe with what Jane and I did, they'd leave the Cullens alone.

"You're the modern version of Helen of Troy," Jane joked.

Helen of Troy was known as the face that launched a thousand ships in Greek mythology. I might not be as beautiful but the result was still the same. Vampires and humans would be at war because of me.

In that moment, I prayed. I wasn't a believer in God. But I prayed to the God of Edward that he might find me.

E/N: What do you think would happen to Jane and Bella? Jane was actually risking her life to save Bella's that being said, she's officially had turned against the Volturi for carrying the most wanted human in the vampire world. Demetri is actually Jane's mate. She just doesn't know it yet.


	25. Chapter 25: The Search

A/N: Hello, everyone! How have you been? It's been a while. A lot has happened. As it was, I had written myself in a corner and it took me almost a year to figure out a way to get myself unstuck. Anyway, I've started a new writing schedule so hopefully, I can write more than I did. I'm coming up with other stories in my head too. I'm still trying to figure out how to put them in writing.

Three months have passed. We still have no news about what happened to the Cullens. I wanted to go back and check but Jane was against it. We don't know if the Volturi already left and took the Cullen's property in Forks as their own.

The Cullens have properties all over the world under different names. They named the properties after the identities they used in a particular location. For example, Esme Cullen's previous aliases include Esme Platt, Elda Platt, Elda Cullen, Adler Platt-Cullen. At one point, she even used Karu Midori in Japan. She had properties under all of these names throughout the world.

At the moment, Jane and I were in Arizona. We're living in the land owned by Tony Masen-one of Edward's properties. Jane said it was only right to use my mate's house. We didn't know if any of them were alive, held captive, or dead. Jane and I thought that they were locked up. Worse. It did cross our minds that they're dead.

Today was the Vampire Hour. Jane and I set up the trap to capture one of the vampires who would be coming out to feed. Jane was initially hesitant about it as I would be using myself as bait. She would be far from me so vampires would think I was an easy target.

I grabbed some weapons I would need in order to incapacitate a vampire. Included in my prepared weaponry was Edward's vampire stun gun still on the testing phase. Human stun guns didn't work on vampires at all. Edward tweaked it so that it could work on vampires. It worked by emitting heat instead of electricity, incapacitating them for a short time. For now, it only works for a couple of hours. However, I could attest to its effectivity whenever I used it on Emmett everytime he tried to trick me on a wrestling match.

Jane and I left the house and walked for a couple of minutes anticipating for Vampire Hour to start. After that, she left me to hide. I walked for another twenty minutes when the siren signaling the Vampire Hour rang throughout the whole neighborhood.

I kept walking but made sure that my senses were alert. I needed to be ready in case any vampire approach me.

Finally, a vampire came. He was the one responsible into turning me into a vampire hunter. He was the one who had bitten my best friend. I was ready. I grabbed the wooden stake hidden on my side. I was aware that he was faster than me but I was ready for this.

I fought the hunter in a way that I had always fought them-using incantations to even out the playing field. But there was something strange about this man. His techniques seemed to be someone who had experienced war. It reminded me of sparring with Jasper. I did my best to figure out his weaknesses. I couldn't see them.

That was when I used the stun gun. With one push of a button, he was frozen in place. I secured him with the special rope Edward had given me-something strong enough to keep a vampire locked in place.

"Jane!" I shouted.

In less than thirty seconds, Jane was next to me. He looked at our bounty and sighed.

"James, long time no see," Jane said.

End Notes: So, James showed up. What's his connection to Jane? We'll find out more about him and his connection with Jane on the next chapter. It's currently being written.


	26. Chapter 26: The Resolve

A/N: Hello, everyone! How have you been? I've been busy as I've started getting my master's in Creative Writing. Hopefully, it'll lead to a big improvement in my writing. As a result, I'll be experimenting more on my writing. Don't be surprised if my writing changes along the way.

There will be regular updates. It won't be as frequent as I would like but hopefully, it won't take me a year in order to get them. Fanfiction is my playground so it's nice to write something fun while I am trying to figure out how to write my graded novel. Getting my master's means that I have 8-24 pages of write up and 400 pages of reading due every week.

This chapter had been ready since three weeks ago but I wasn't able to post it because the class just started and I wasn't able to take a breather. I'm working on a new chapter with added experiments. It'll be longer but hopefully, the chapter will flow better.

Chapter 26:

James was a blond vampire with a piercing glare. Jane said that he was the Volturi's tracker, long before Demetri became their main one. Looking at James unnerved me. He stared at me as if he could know everything about me with one glance. I could see why Jane had deep respect for this man.

I didn't know what I should make of him. He was the man who killed my best friend. The man who was the reason why I hunt vampires. And yet, a lot had changed since then. This was before Edward. Before I understood the world that the vampire lived in. Before my father became one. If I were to have faced him a couple of years ago, I would've ran away. If I met him last year, I would've stabbed his heart. Now that I was looking at a different looking glass, I am withholding my judgment for him.

"So, you are Edward's mate," James said to me. "The entire vampire world was on a frenzy after one of the most influential vampire clans had fallen in love with a vampire hunter."

In that instant, I became more aware of my surroundings. I needed to prepare in case we get into a fight.

"And what's that to you?" I asked.

"I'm offering a trade, if you will. A protection from the Volturi while I lend you my talents," James said.

"Why?" I asked.

That was when Jane cut in and explained everything. "Bella, James was the most wanted being by the Volturi after you come along. He 'left' the Volturi to be with the woman he loved. The Volturi had been after him ever since. Victoria had a knack for escaping. If I wasn't mistaken, Victoria had died about a year or two ago. With Victoria being dead, his time away from the Volturi is running out. They would want him to find you."

"I see," I said. "James, can you help us find Edward and Demetri?"

"I can. However, ever since you have escaped, Edward and Demetri volunteered as guards with the Volturi to protect their clans who are being held hostage. That being said, it's better to free the rest of your family first before we look for them," James explained.

I massaged my head from the headache of hearing from James. I wanted to free Edward and Demetri. However, why would they want to escape when they were being threatened with the lives of Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and the rest of our family? I didn't want to be responsible for their deaths.

I gathered some supplies-stake and other weapons. With something that would require a long journey, we would also need cash. Getting money from the bank would be difficult-the tight security from the current banking institutions meant that I couldn't just walk into banks without any form of identification even though the money rightfully belonged to me. With ID's, it meant that everything would be easier to track. It would only take one computer proficient Volturi to come here and trace us. Once they trace us, they'd likely freeze the Cullen's bank account. I had half the mind to introduce myself as I was.

Thankfully, Edward had thought about that. He had collected jewelry so that he could trade them for cash. I grabbed a handful of rings, necklaces, watches, and bracelets. Each of them made with genuine gold, silver, or platinum. If there were gems decorating them, those were real too. I didn't know the value of the jewelry I was carrying. Hopefully, it would last us throughout our journey.

James were able to track people with their scent. Once he got your scent, he would be able to find you anywhere in the world. Now, I just needed to get some of their possessions. That way, James had a scent to track. It would require going back to Seattle and getting some of the things they use everyday.

James, Jane, and I went to a pawn shop. I pawned a pocket watch. Who uses pocket watches nowadays?

"So, who are we going to find first?" I asked.

"Your in-laws," James said.

"That makes sense," I said. Esme and Carlisle were the biggest leverage the Volturi have toward Edward and the rest of the Cullens. If we were to set them free, these Italian vampires would no longer have any hold on our mates.

End Notes: James working with Bella. Who would've thought about getting them to work together?


End file.
